
CDpyiightN?_ 

CflPlJRIGHT DEPOSm 



HEADACHES 

AND 

HOW TO PREVENT THEM 



W. H. RILEY, M.D. 

Neurologist of the Battle Creek Sanitarium 



BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN 

GOOD HEALTH PUBLISHING CO. 

1916 



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Copyright 1916, by 
Good Health Publishing Co. 



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Foreword 

^ This book is written for the multitude of people 

{V who have headaches — occasional, periodic, or fre- 

quent attacks. It shows that the best cure is to be 
found in correct habits of living, and that in a large 
proportion of cases such a drugless cure is possible. 
Technical terms are avoided; simple language is 
used so that the average person can read understand- 
ingly. There is very little of anatomy or physiol- 
ogy in these headache talks. The writer hopes that 
young people in their teens will find a leading in 
these pages to guide them in the way of such whole- 
some living that they may escape the headache bane, 
and he knows that by following the suggestions in 
this little book many sufFerers will be able to over- 
come their chronic headache distress. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTEB PAGE 

I Pain in General 7 

II Preventable Headache 14 

III Some Reasons Why Women Have Head- 

aches 20 

IV Sick Headache 28 

V Congestive Headache 41 

VI Anemic and Neuralgic Headache .... 49 

VII Emotion Headache 53 

VIII The Headache of Monotony 63 

IX What to Eat 69 

X Diet List, Height and Weight Tables . . 79 
XI Hydrotherapy: The Water Cure for Head- 
ache 97 

XII General Rules for Health 131 



CHAPTER I 
Pain in General 

First, we want to understand about the nature of 
pain, and it is only fair to give this devil his due, 
by admitting that pain is really a beneficent sensa- 
tion, because it comes as a warning that something 
is wrong somewhere in the bodily economy. If the 
warning is heeded, serious damage can be averted. 
Almost ninety per cent of all diseases either begin 
with, or have at some time, pain as a prominent 
symptom. Take toothache, for instance: If the 
nerves and tissues of the teeth did not rebel, decay 
and disease would go on until the teeth were beyond 
saving; poisons from them would spread to remote 
parts of the body and we should be not only tooth- 
less but seriously disabled. Note what a lot of 
sui?ering a sharp attack of toothache saves us, by 
sending us to the dentist at the beginning of trou- 
ble, when things can be made right. 

Pain cannot be strictly defined. One writer, 
sixty years ago, said that *^ pain is a disagreeable 

7 



8 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

sensation that cannot be defined." Most of us 
will admit that this truly indefinite definition is not 
a bad description of our personal experiences. 

The reason pain is so difficult to define is because 
it is a distinctly mental interpretation of some ab- 
normal, and generally harmful, process which is 
going on in the body. Dr. Richard J. Behan says: 
** Pain cannot be classed as a sensation, but rather 
it is the result of the perception and interpretation 
of sensation by the mind." Sudduth says that 
** pain is a mental state, an element of consciousness, 
due to the perception of an injury to the body or to 
the feelings." 

Spinoza and Schopenhauer both argue that pain 
is an emotion whereby the body's power of activity 
is diminished or checked. 

As we read farther into the past, we see that the 
physical properties of pain were not perceived and 
that the metaphysical side was the one considered, 
while the modern research workers add that this 
disagreeable sensation is the result either of lessened 
nutritive activity in the nerve cells or is an indicator 
of destructive agents at work in the body. Pain is 
thus a combination of the mental and physical. 

Pain Is Penalty 

The whole world suffers, and so all languages 
have a word to express pain. The English Ian- 



PAIN IN GENERAL 9 

guage takes its name from the middle English, a 
term used to express the idea of suffering. This 
word, like the similar one found in all modern lan- 
guages, was doubtless derived from the Latin poena, 
which means a punishment, and back of that deriva- 
tion is the Greek word which also means punish- 
ment or penalty. 

When we stop to think that pain is due to some 
break or incoordination of Nature's perfect laws, 
and that the breaking of the laws is largely due to 
man's ignorance or willfulness, we see that the 
meaning of the word is appropriate. Breakers of 
hygienic, as well as of civil, law are in the line of 
punishment — should they not expect to pay the 
penalty ? 

The Distribution of Pain 

This disagreeable sensation is distributed in 
nearly all parts of the body. The attacked area 
may be small or large — a tiny spot, or the whole 
body may be pain racked. 

The distributor of pain consists of the sj^stem of 
nerve fibers that form a network of sensitive tissue 
throughout the body. The nerve fibers vary in size 
— they are as fine as threads, or finer, and like 
strings, or like heavier cord, or in a bundle the size 
of a clothes line as found in the spinal cord, 
which is enclosed by the back bone. All these nerve 



10 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

fibers join the spinal cord or brain at some point, 
and the spinal cord enters the brain. 

In the brain are located the nerve centers — the 
sense-perceptive centers. Anything that stimulates 
or irritates the sensory nerves as they go from the 
special terminals to the sense centers will be trans- 
mitted back to the terminals and felt as pain. 
Various agents act upon the nerves to produce pain : 
Heat, cold, electricity, pressure, injury, toxemias, 
anemia, congestion, chemical poisons — all these 
will cause pain. 

The Intensity of Pain 

The severity of pain depends upon several condi- 
tions : ( 1 ) the location and irritability of the nerves 
affected — the nerves of the eye are peculiarly sensi- 
tive and capable of excruciating pain; (2) the ex- 
tent of the nerve fibers involved — that long bundle 
of fibers in the sciatic nerve makes sciatica a severely 
painful symptom; (3) the sensitiveness of the indi- 
vidual — there are some people who are said to be 
*^ good pain-bearers " because of their ability to en- 
dure pain. 

Pain in the Head 

Pain in the head is commonly called headache 
and is the most common bodily discomfort; more 
than any other, it incapacitates one for the usual 



PAIN IN GENERAL U 

daf ly routine. Often we hear this remark : " I 
can bear any pain better than a headache." It is 
possible to temporarily forget much pain elsewhere, 
and to work, read, and occupy oneself in various 
ways. When the head feels sick, the whole body 
is " out of commission," and the world is a grievous 
place. 

Headache is a symptom — not a disease — and 
is especially helpful because it usually registers 
trouble in the organs and parts of the body where 
the nerves of sensation do not localize pain. 

People know better, but many have a queer, sub- 
conscious idea that each member or organ of the 
body is quite by itself and not part of the whole 
body, all intimately connected. If the arm pains, 
or the knee aches, or if there is a pain in the side, 
some local remedy is demanded because one's mind 
immediately fixes on that spot as the seat of the 
trouble. Here is a case of congested headache due 
to cramped, tired feet that are poorly shod in nar- 
row, high-heeled boots, but it is hard for a woman 
to believe that the headache is a reflex symptom 
from the mal-treated foot. 

Where the Head Aches 

The majority of headaches are located in the 
front of the head, but any part of the head may 
be the seat of pain, or the ache may be diffused 



12 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

over the greater part of the cranium. The knowl- 
edge of the location of the headache is of value in 
determining the cause that produced it, although 
we cannot say with absolute certainty that a head- 
ache resulting from any particular cause will always 
be located in the same part of the head. 

Headaches due to eye strain are usually located 
just above the eyes or in the temporal region, and 
the indigestion or constipation headache is in the 
forehead and front of the head, sometimes reach- 
ing to the top of the head. Those caused by dis- 
turbances of digestion are also sometimes in the 
lower and back part of the head in the occipital 
region. 

Headaches caused by irritation or disease of 
the pelvic organs are often located in the back and 
lower part of the head; the headache of neuras- 
thenia is very often diffused all over the head — it 
may be in the front or in the occipital region of the 
head, or again it may be found on top of the head 
in the form of pressure — the so-called *' helmet '* 
symptom, because of its resemblance to pressure 
from a helmet placed upon the head. 

The headache of hysteria is often located in a 
spot on top of the head — as the so-called " clavus 
hystericus." Headaches due to psychic influences 
are usually found in the front part of the head, or 
again they are quite generally diffused. " Toxic " 



PAIN IN GENERAL 13 

headaches, due either to poisons taken from without 
or to poisons generated within the body, are usually 
located in front of the head and are sometimes 
diffused over a large area. 



CHAPTER II 
Preventable Headache 

As headaches are related to diseases of the eyes, 
ears, nose, throat, teeth, and other parts of the 
body, it is obvious that only proper medical or 
surgical treatment can cure some headaches. Then 
too, morbid states of the blood, serious kidney, 
digestive and sexual diseases and changes of brain 
structure cause such headaches that only a physi- 
cian can treat. Nevertheless, it is not too much 
to say that a large per cent of the w^orld s head- 
aches are preventable. 

A Need of Pure Air 

Preventable headaches in this instance are those 
that are easily preventable by common sense in 
avoiding careless habits in sitting, reading and 
w^orking. Headaches are often due to crowded, 
ill-ventilated public places, school rooms, business 
places, department stores, moving-picture theatres, 
etc. 

In this connection we may include the homes 
14 



PREVENTABLE HEADACHE 15 

where fresh air is not a matter that receives the 
attention it deserves. How many women there 
are who do housework, especially in heated kitchens, 
where the air is breathed over and over again. 
The flushed face, tiredness, and aching head, are 
not always due to the work about the hot stove, 
or the amount of hard work, but to the vitiated 
atmosphere in which the work is done. To open 
the windows frequently and change the air, will 
prevent such headaches. Ten minutes out of every 
hour the windows should be opened for fresh air. 
Now that the public health rules are so well 
enforced, our schools, industrial plants and public 
buildings are not such breeding places for disease 
as formerly, but we must continually battle for 
more sunshine and fresh air surroundings. It is 
not over-stating it to say that our homes are the 
poorest ventilated of all structures; as a matter 
of fact, it is not the buildings, after all, that re- 
quire ventilating, but people. The oxygen of 
fresh air is food and life to us. Headaches are 
often a symptom of the abused bodies crying for 
oxygen. The headaches of suffocation are easily 
prevented by the application of a little common 
sense, and open windows. Drafts — colds — shiv- 
ers — are suggested to many people with the advice 
to open the windows. But " shivers " do not only 
go with colds — they accompany the nervous, poi- 



I 



16 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

soned condition due to a lack of oxygen and the 
presence of poisonous gases; and in any case, the 
most delicate of us can have ventilation by win- 
dows properly arranged. 

There are many devices for ventilating house 
rooms, but the cheapest and easiest to obtain is 
the six inch board to fit beneath the lower window 
sash. This allows the air currents to pass be- 
tween the upper and lower sash without subjecting 
the occupants of a room to drafts. The window 
boards can be stained, or painted, to match the 
wood trimmings, so they are not unsightly. Be- 
cause they are such first-class aids to ventilation, 
they are strongly recommended as a preventive 
for the headaches caused by vitiated air in houses. 
Over-heated rooms, with or without ventilation, 
are a frequent cause of congestive headaches. 

Sit Straight 

Bad postures in sitting cause headaches. When 
one sits in a slouched position, the blood stagnates 
in the large abdominal blood-vessels because free 
circulation is impeded. The blood is kept from 
the brain and held in the pelvis by the weight of 
the tissues that sag and bear down upon the ab- 
dominal vessels, and they are a reservoir for the 
blood that should be freely circulating through all 
the arterial pipes. This condition causes a tem- 



PREVENTABLE HEADACHE 17 

porary brain anemia, and this lack of blood in the 
brain causes a stupid, dull headache. Sit erect, 
keep the lungs full of air, do not slouch or lounge 
in your chair over book, sewing, or work, and thus 
prevent headaches that come from a bad sitting po- 
sition. 

Reading on Trains 

Then there is the headache from reading on 
moving trains and trolleys, caused partly from bad 
air and partly from eye-strain. It is obvious that 
such headaches confess to individual folly. Then 
there are headaches due to strain on the eyes be- 
cause the muscles or refractive power of the eyes 
are faulty. These headaches can only be cured by 
going to an oculist and having the eyes fitted to 
correct glasses, or otherwise treated as the health 
of the eye demands. This is not the sort of eye 
headache to which reference is here made as easily 
preventable. 

It is one of the most difficult things to impress 
people generally with the importance of treating 
the eyes well. The eyes are very much abused. 
Reading under difficulties, as in a train, or in a 
dim, waning light, or with a light shining into the 
eyes and striking glaringly on the printed page is 
very injurious to the eyes, and causes bad headaches. 
These headaches are usually situated in the fore- 



18 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

head, temples, and even the eye-ball. There is a 
feeling of weight in the eyes. Eye-strain causes a 
feeling of general tiredness all over the body. This 
is not strange when we consider that the retina of 
the eye which receives all sight impressions is really 
a spreading out of the optic nerve; the optic nerve 
is very short and is practically a projecting forward 
of brain tissue. When we strain or abuse the 
optic nerves (eyes) we are directly mistreating 
the brain. 

Diffused Light 

In reading, the light should be diffused from 
above, or fall over the left shoulder. Brilliant 
electric light, or an unshaded welsbach, has an ir- 
ritating effect upon the eyes and causes headaches. 
A reading lamp that gives a soft, steady glow is 
best for reading and writing. Nothing has ever 
been found better than the old *' student lamp,'' 
as far as quality of light and eye comfort are con- 
cerned. 

Reading in Bed 

A great deal is said about the bad habit of read- 
ing in bed or when reclining on couches, in ham- 
mocks, etc. If the light is correctly adjusted, and 
of proper quality, and if the body is propped so 
that the reading matter is adjusted to the correct 



PREVENTABLE HEADACHE 19 

angle of vision — just as when one sits in the cor- 
rect reading position — it is very restful to read 
in bed. We recall the happy hours of reading and 
writing in bed recorded by Robert Louis Steven- 
son, Mark Twain and many others. When the body 
is relaxed, and a sensation of comfort is produced, 
the mind is more easily concentrated for reading. 
But first be sure there is no sort of strain put on 
the tissues or the muscles of the eyes. 



CHAPTER III 

Some Reasons Why Women Have 
Headaches 

Women suffer much more from headaches than 
men, and unhygienic clothing is often the reason 
for this. Interference with the free circulation of 
the blood produces headaches. Nobody will deny 
that body protection and comfort is the primary 
object of clothing, however far it falls short of its 
original purpose. 

It is a despoiling of the health and comfort of 
youth, when mothers allow or urge their growing 
daughters to wear corsets and high-heeled shoes. 
Unhygienic clothing disasters have their beginning 
here. 

Boys escape the constricting clothing that Amer- 
ican girls wear. Early childhood, too, is fortu- 
nate in this respect, except in cases where, in win- 
ter, babies are swaddled and muffled to the point of 
immobility and suffocation, and even in summer 
are burdened with clothing. Generally, little 
children's clothing is comfortably loose and the feet 
properly dressed. 

20 



WHY WOMEN HAVE HEADACHES 21 

Not until girls discard the broad shoe with the 
one lift sole and begin to wear the peculiarly 
feminine foot clothing is there any bad feature in 
their style of dress. From then on, the most seri- 
ous and far-reaching trouble begins. 

Since we are concerned only with that side of 
dress that has to do with healthfulness, shoes, cor- 
sets and collars are the three things that are es- 
pecially obnoxious — we can even say ** noxious," 
because by these three articles of dress, poisons 
are aided and abetted in doing destructive work in 
the body and are headache producers. 

Women's Footwear 

The shoes of boys and men serve their purposes; 
they are sufficiently correct in shape to be hygienic. 
A man would appear conspicuously ridiculous in 
other than the wide, low-heeled shoe. A woman's 
feet are supposed to serve the same purpose as do 
man's (and the health of her special pelvic organs 
demands the normal position of the body even 
more) so why should she consider the same style 
of footwear unsuitable in her case? But she does, 
and in order to get a " neat and elegant " appear- 
ance, she tortures and deforms her feet and, in 
truth, pays with her life's blood the price for be- 
ing daintily shod. 

To all who see things as they really are, the 



22 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

average woman^s foot is a poor, deformed thing, 
as unsightly as a hump on her back, or a pitiably 
twisted face — more so, because she deliberately 
foists it upon herself through her vanity. 

While the shops are full of hideously fashionable 
shoes, the common-sense woman's shoe can always 
be bought if one chooses — and there are a great 
many women who do insist upon keeping their 
feet shaped as God made them. 

The athletic woman, young or old, who wears 
tennis, gymnasium, golfing and tramping shoes for 
hours every day finds it so uncomfortable to change 
to dress and evening shoes, that she is quite likely, 
at last, to adopt the sensible shoe, which is really 
handsome because it is normal; there is no beauty 
or grace apart from natural lines. 

What the Foot Does 

How does a pointed, narrow, high-heeled shoe 
affect the health? The statement that such shoes 
are paid for in blood was made because the feet 
have such important work to do, because the normal 
functions of the organs of the body, and even of 
the brain itself, depend upon unhampered blood 
circulation and mechanical efficiency of the feet. 
The foot does two things — it acts as a support for 
the weight of the body and as a lever to raise and 
move it. It is so constructed as to allow elasticity 



WHY WOMEN HAVE HEADACHES 23 

under pressure, and a change of position under 
strain, which protect it from injury. 

The average woman's shoe allows of very little 
elasticity or change of position — the foot is tightly 
bound and cramped. When the foot is used as a 
passive support for the body, it is a patent arch, the 
weight resting on the two ends. During walking, 
as the weight is borne on the ball of the foot, the 
center of the arch is depressed, but becomes patent 
again when the weight is passed forward to the 
toes. This change gives a spring effect which re- 
lieves the pressure on the skin, blood-vessels, nerves 
and other structures under the arch. When the toes 
are called on to bear the weight and supply the 
force that propels the body forward, they spread 
apart, and this spreading helps restore the arch. 

A Normal Foot Is Rare 

Without going farther into the anatomical and 
mechanical description of the foot, one can easily 
understand how impossible it is for the foot to 
perform its functions normally and fully when 
incased in the women's shoes commonly worn; 
of course there are mis-shapen toes, bunions, corns, 
broken arches, weak ankles and the aches and 
pains that go from the feet to the spine and the 
head. It is so unusual in hospitals or sanitaria (or 
in any place where the bared feet are much in evi- 



24 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

dence), to see a well-shaped, normal woman's foot 
that it is a matter of note when patients' feet are 
not deformed in some way. 

The Plumb Line Construction of the Body 
When the body is in the normal erect position, 
the organs and weight of the body are so placed 
that we may speak of the *' plumb line " construc- 
tion of the body. When high heels raise the body 
and tilt it forward " out of plumb," so that the 
natural equilibrium of the body Is destroyed, the 
important pelvic organs are displaced, and a great 
strain is placed on the spine, body muscles and liga- 
ments, and on the bones and soft parts of the feet 
to keep the body upright. 

The result is an interference with the circula- 
tion, a general congestion, and weakening of the 
special female pelvic organs, with backache, head- 
ache, and nervous exhaustion added to the local foot 
diseases. There are thousands of women seeking 
relief from nervous headaches who should realize 
the fact that " happy feet make head comfort " — 
and one cannot have happy feet unless she treats 
them with the consideration and kindness they 
deserve. 

Corsets 
When the women's sports era came in, with ten- 
nis, golf, basket-ball and all the other athletic pur- 



WHY WOMEN HAVE HEADACHES 25 

suits, the abominable corset began to be less like 
" a bone fence with steel posts." Many women 
to-day wear corsets that are endorsed by some physi- 
cians — a lukewarm endorsement, for corsets are 
not hygienic. They may not produce corset liver 
or prolapsed stomach, nor act as a waist tourniquet 
to the extent that they did a few years ago, but 
they still have a strait-jacket effect upon freedom of 
motion and cause congestive headaches. 

We must admit that the number of women who 
are altogether discarding corsets is increasing, but 
there is every reason why the majority of women 
should do so. Properly trained, and unsupported 
by corsets, the abdominal and back muscles have 
a chance to do what Nature intended them to do. 

It is bad enough for women to jeopardize their 
health by wearing corsets, but it is cruel to put them 
on a young girl who has no judgment about what 
is best for her health, and who depends upon her 
mother for example and decision. Chinese foot- 
binding is not more cruel. 

A young girl needs absolute freedom of move- 
ment, without constriction of her body. The dis- 
orders of puberty, and some of the discomfort and 
pain that cause women to demand " twilight sleep," 
will be prevented if the girls are uncorseted and 
properly dressed until — and after — full matur- 
ity. 



26 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

The High Collar 

The high collar is another health menace be- 
cause it is worn so high and close that the large 
blood-vessels of the neck are constricted, and the 
return circulation from the brain is interfered with. 
This sort of collar causes the worst kind of con- 
gestive headaches. 

Hair and Hats 

The weight of the hair may cause headache, or 
wearing it dressed in a fashion that pulls or strains 
it tightly. Securing the hair with many pins and 
the addition of artificial hair, especially when it is 
w^orn like a poultice over the scalp, will often bring 
on headaches. Heavy, unventilated hats, and es- 
pecially hats with a tight band that fit closely about 
the forehead, are headache breeders. 

Periodical Headaches 

Many women suffer from periodical headaches 
all through the child-bearing years, but much of 
this pain can be prevented by hygienic living. 
Those cases of headache due to diseases of women 
that require a physician's attention can be wonder- 
fully relieved, if not entirely cured, by following 
rational diet, exercise, bathing and dressing; and 



WHY WOMEN HAVE HEADACHES 27 

they are caused by not having so lived. The bad 
habits of dressing are responsible for a large per 
cent of such headaches. To cure them, remove the 
cause. 



CHAPTER IV 
Sick Headache 

There is a certain form of headache that is very 
common and very distressing — usually described 
in everyday language as " sick headache." In its 
lighter forms, it is also sometimes described as 
" nervous headache/' In medical literature it re- 
ceives other names — ** migraine," " megrim," or 
** hemicrania." 

Fortunately, the causes of sick headache are not 
obscure. On the contrary, they are very sharply 
defined and apparent. They are of two kinds — 
predisposing and exciting. 

The predisposing causes are those which prepare 
the way and favor the development of an attack 
of headache. The exciting causes are those which 
excite an attack, or bring the symptoms to the 
surface, so that they may be felt or seen. 

Predisposing Causes 

The principal predisposing causes are hereditary, 
age, sex, and certain constitutional diseases. Con- 
cerning heredity, Mobius, a German authority, 

28 



SICK HEADACHE 29 

claims that in ninety per cent of cases which he 
observed, inheritance was an active causative fac- 
tor. Frequently, sick headache is directly inherited 
— that is, the father or mother, or both, are suf- 
ferers, the headache as a distinct disease being 
handed down from parents to offspring, often 
through several generations. The writer has ob- 
served the disease in four successive generations of 
the same family. 

The hereditary influence in sick headache also 
expresses itself in other ways. Nearly always 
there is a history of nervous disorders in the family. 
Sometimes in the ancestors, migraine alternates 
with epilepsy, hysteria, and certain forms of insan- 
ity. The inheritance may also come as the result 
of some constitutional disease, not of a nervous char- 
acter, in the ancestors, such as gout, rheumatism, 
tuberculosis, alcoholism and other disorders that 
weaken the vital forces in the parents; a weakness 
that, when transmitted to the children, may show 
itself in the sick headache habit. 

Another characteristic which stamps this dis- 
ease as hereditary, is its association with other nerv- 
ous diseases. Very often we find it grafted on to 
a neurasthenic state. In fact, in the writer's ex- 
perience, this is usually the case. It may also 
accompany certain organic diseases of the nervous 
system, such as locomotor ataxia, etc. 



30 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

But while heredity is very active in causing sick 
headache, it should not be understood that the 
disease is incurable. Many hereditary defects may 
be overcome, to a large extent, by healthful living, 
and by the use of such means and remedies as will 
increase the vital resistance and improve the physi- 
cal condition of the body generally. 

The Age Factor 

Age also plays an important part in the predis- 
posing to sick headaches. It is a remarkable fact 
that thirty per cent of all cases begin between the 
ages of five and ten years. The rest occur usually 
at puberty, during adolescence, or in early adult 
life. Cases occur later, but the disease rarely be- 
gins after thirty, or before five, years of age. The 
disease may be seen as late as sixty or more years 
of age, but in cases of this kind, it has usually 
begun much earlier in life and has continued for 
many years. The rule is, that the attacks become 
less frequent and less severe as age advances and at 
the age of forty-five or fifty disappear. 

Sex as a Cause of Sick Headache 

That sex plays a part in sick headaches cannot 
be doubted. One authority states that fifty out 
of one hundred women are sufferers, and twenty-five 
out of one hundred men. All physicians testify 



SICK HEADACHE 51 

that sick headache is far more common among 
women than men. 

Constitutional diseases, as observed above, are 
also an important factor. Often sick headache is 
associated w^ith such debilitating disorders as ane- 
mia, indigestion, constipation, neurasthenia, and 
other diseases that low^er the general health and 
lessen the vital resistance of the individual. 

The Exciting Causes 

When w^e come to the exciting causes, we find 
that usually they are most active in persons who are 
predisposed to sick headaches from one or more of 
the causes previously named. 

Among the exciting causes, the following are 
most common : indigestion, constipation, so-called 
" intestinal autointoxication, '* excess of protein 
foods — particularly meat, — fatigue, nervous ex- 
citement and emotional disturbance, such as fright, 
anger, worry. Disease of the nose tissues, such as 
adenoid growths, is an exciting cause of sick head- 
ache. 

Going out in the bright sunlight will develop 
an attack in some individuals, and taking an ordi- 
nary cold bath or going into the salt water will 
affect others in the same way. Any cause sufficient 
to make a decided impression upon a sensitive nerv- 
ous system may develop an attack of sick headache. 



32 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

Not long ago the writer had a gentleman under 
his care who had suffered from this disease nearly 
all his life. He could not go down to the city to 
do a simple errand, or go to the library to read or 
study — indeed, he could not make any mental 
effort that was unpleasant or taxing, without de- 
veloping an attack of sick headache. In another 
case the patient had an attack whenever he exposed 
himself unduly to the direct rays of the sun. 

In recent years, putrefactive changes in the in- 
testines, with the absorption of poisons into the 
blood, and their distribution throughout the brain 
and nervous system, have come to be held responsi- 
ble for many attacks. A typical case of sick head- 
ache is that of a young person from twenty to thirty 
years of age, suffering from symptoms of nervous 
weakness — neurasthenia; grafted on to this weak- 
ness of nerve centers is the attack of sick headache 
with an excess of hydrochloric acid in the stomach 
and constipated bowels. 

The writer has also observed that exposure to 
cold or dampness for a considerable time has in 
many cases been sufficient to develop an attack. 

Attacks are apt to be more common and more 
severe, too, if the individual suffers from any other 
disease, such as fever, rheumatism, pelvic disease or 
anything that lowers the general health. 



SICK HEADACHE 33 

Some of the Symptoms 

For the purpose of facilitating treatment, it is 
well to have clearly in mind the symptoms, which, 
like the causes, are sharply defined. First come 
the premonitory symptoms — a feeling of indisposi- 
tion, fatigue, exhaustion, faintness, loss of appetite, 
constipation, and sometimes insomnia for a night 
or so preceding the attack. In a typical case, sen- 
sory symptoms usually appear next. These consist 
of a feeling of numbness in the hands, of a prickling 
sensation in the tongue or about the lips; not in- 
frequently there is a sensation of dimness of vision, 
^^ blind headache," as if a veil were drawn before 
the eyes or a cloudy mist were passing. Some- 
times floating spots are seen in the field of vision, 
and less frequently, flashes of light, of a zigzag out- 
line. There may also be ringing in the ears and 
vertigo. 

After these sensory symptoms have lasted for a 
short time — a few minutes or a few hours — tl*e 
headache develops. It usually begins in a small 
spot, on one side in the temporal region, or in the 
frontal region, back of the eyeball, on top of the 
head, or, less frequently, at the back of the head. 
The pain is often described as a severe boring, throb- 
bing sensation. As it progresses, it becomes more 
severe, and extends into new territory — usually 



34 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

confined, however, to one side of the head, but in 
some instances, spreading over the entire head. 

An attack lasts one, two, three, ten, even forty- 
eight hours, and seldom more than three days. The 
writer has seen a few cases, however, where the 
headache persisted day after day, week after week, 
and even month after month, recurring every day. 
This is unusual. 

In typical cases, the headache usually terminates 
by sickness of the stomach, or by nausea and vomit- 
ing; after the stomach is emptied by vomiting, the 
pain usually disappears and the patient is relieved. 
In addition to these symptoms, there may be cold 
extremities, pallor of the face, slow pulse, or high 
blood-pressure and a feeling of general prostration 
attending the severe paroxysms of headache. 

It should be remembered that there are all grades 
and shades of variations in the severity of these at- 
tacks, and that all the foregoing symptoms are by 
no means present in every case. The essential ele- 
ments of this form of headache are its periodicity 
and its severe character. Nausea and vomiting are 
usually but not always present, some forms of sick 
headache where the nausea and vomiting are ab- 
sent being mistaken for other forms of headache. 

In some cases that have come under the writer's 
observation, the attacks came on quite regularly. 
One gentleman had an attack every Sunday. He 



SICK HEADACHE 35 

was a traveling salesman, and undoubtedly his habits 
of living on Sunday v^ere sufficiently different from 
his everyday habits to develop the attacks. 

In some cases, so-called " aphasia " may be pres- 
ent as a symptom. This is an inability of the in- 
dividual to get the proper words to express his 
thoughts. In other cases there is considerable 
mental confusion and mental cloudiness. In ex- 
tremely aggravated and persistent cases, there may 
be well-pronounced symptoms of melancholia, and 
other forms of insanity have been described as being 
associated with attacks of sick headache. 

The Digestive Juice Is Altered 

Another important symptom is the change in the 
secretion of the gastric juice of the stomach. The 
writer has examined a large number of cases of 
migraine or sick headaches. He usually makes an 
analysis of the contents of the stomach of these 
cases, because the condition of the digestive tract 
often has very much to do with bringing on an 
attack. Almost invariably in these cases of sick 
headache, it is found that there is an increased se- 
cretion of hydrochloric acid, which means that an 
excess of hydrochloric acid is secreted by the 
stomach. This condition is regarded by the medical 
profession at the present time as a secretory neuro- 
sis, that is, the excessive secretion of hydrochloric 



36 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

acid is due to a disturbance of the nerves controlling 
the stomach. Occasionally one sees a case where 
the hydrochloric acid is diminished in quantity; 
these cases, however, are usually advanced in years, 
or this decrease in hydrochloric acid may be due to 
some other disease. 

Numbness, pricking, crawling, and other pares- 
thesias in the hands or extremities, in the face, the 
lips, and head, are sometimes present. Very often 
these abnormal sensations are confined to one side 
of the body, as, for instance, the right hand or the 
right leg. Attending, or soon following this dis- 
turbance of sensation, there is sometimes a weak- 
ness in the same leg or arm w^here the sensation is 
disturbed. The headache which follows soon after 
this is usually located in the opposite side of the 
head from the arm and leg in which the disturbed 
sensations and weaknesses of the muscles are 
located. 

Look After the General Health 

The treatment of sick headache depends upon 
the symptoms peculiar to the individual cases, as 
well as upon the causes. For instance, in the case 
of a child, where age is perhaps a factor, together 
with low vitality, the general health should be 
looked after. The child should not be allowed 
to overtax himself in school, and he should have 



SICK HEADACHE 37 

proper food, outdoor exercise, bathing and plenty of 
sleep. All of these measures will protect the nerv- 
ous system against overdrafts that the severe strain 
of school work often imposes upon it. 

The nose, eyes, teeth and throat of a person 
having migraine should be carefully examined. 
Sometimes the removal of polypi or adenoids, the 
removal of a deflected nasal septum, or an irritated 
bone may relieve the headache. Correct glasses 
and needed tooth treatment sometimes cure sick 
headache entirely. 

The digestive tract should receive special atten- 
tion. Indigestion and constipation should be cor- 
rected. The patient should have a nutritious, eas- 
ily digested diet, and the protein elements of the 
food should be kept down to the minimum. Meat 
should be avoided entirely, for it is a well-estab- 
lished fact in the medical profession that the ex- 
cessive use of protein, particularly meat, is sufficient 
often to develop an attack. Protein elements of 
food are irritating to a sensitive nervous system, 
and should not be used in excess. We have already 
stated, in the discussion of symptoms, that there is 
usually an increase of hydrochloric acid in the 
stomach. The diet should be so regulated as to 
lessen the secretion of the hydrochloric acid. 



38 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

Constipation 

Constipation will very often be found present 
in cases of sick headache. This should be relieved 
by diet, cold baths, and by proper exercise. Spe- 
cial manual movements and massage, and the use of 
electricity in the hands of a reputable physician 
only, are very helpful curative means when con- 
venient. In cases of obstinate constipation, the cool 
water enema may often be taken advantageously, 
for a time, for relief of the bowels. 

The habits of the individual should all be care- 
fully regulated. He should have regular hours of 
sleep, preferably in the open air; he should avoid 
physical and mental strain of all kinds, and should 
lead an outdoor life. Anemia and other constitu- 
tional diseases often accompany sick headache. 
These, of course, should have proper and careful 
medical attention and general tonic treatment 
should be taken to improve the health, as in most 
cases a lowering of the health is partly responsible 
for the attacks. Short cold baths are the best 
tonic for these cases. They may be taken in the 
form of a cold mitten friction, wet towel rub or 
cool shower bath. 

The foregoing description of treatment refers 
especially to the removal of the cause of the disease 
and improving the general condition of the system. 



SICK HEADACHE 39 

How to Meet an Attack 

We may now consider briefly the treatment of 
an attack of sick headache. When the symptoms 
begin to come on, a number of measures may abort 
the actual attack. If the bowels have not moved 
recently, a warm enema should be taken to empty 
them thoroughly. If there are symptoms of indi- 
gestion and disturbance of the function of the 
stomach, the stomach may be washed out to ad- 
vantage. Usually it is best for the patient to omit 
a meal or two, though if one has not eaten food 
for several hours, and feels faint and weak, some- 
times a glassful of warm drink, such as hot malted 
milk, is sufficient to avert an attack. 

The patient should immediately go to bed in a 
quiet, dark room, as light and noises often increase 
the headache. He should drink two or three 
glasses of hot water. A hot blanket pack should 
be given to the hips and legs, or a hot foot and leg 
bath, or a warm, full water bath at 98° to 102°F. 
for fifteen minutes. A cold compress should always 
be applied to the head. 

All of these warm treatments tend to relax the 
spasm of the blood-vessels that is usually present, 
to reduce the blood-pressure and so relieve the head- 
ache. Sometimes cold to the head, and very often 
heat to the head, will relieve the pain. Whether 



40 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

the hot or the cold should be applied to the head 
in any particular case, is largely a matter of experi- 
ment as the patient finds relief; some cases do bet- 
ter with cold applications and others with hot. 
Sometimes two or three glasses of hot water, or a 
warm drink of any kind, will relieve the attack. 

If the above remedies are carefully and intelli- 
gently used, they are sufficient to prevent and re- 
lieve many cases of sick headache, and are far su- 
perior to drugs. For it should be remembered that 
sick headache is usually a chronic disorder and the 
use of drug remedies, if kept up for a long time, 
always do harm rather than good. 



CHAPTER V 
Congestive Headache 

The most common headache of this type is also 
called " toxic " headache and may be divided into 
two groups: First, *' toxic '' headaches, or those 
due to poisons taken into the body, usually volun- 
tarily; second, " autotoxic " headaches, or those due 
to poisons produced within the body. 

We can hardly place too much emphasis upon the 
frequently met cases of autointoxication: It is one 
of the most common disorders to-day. The public 
press is flooded with autointoxication matter. Also 
the laity is over-educated in regard to high blood 
pressure which is often due to autointoxication. 
When a patient has headaches and tells the doctor 
he thinks his blood pressure is high and that he has 
autointoxication, he has often correctly diagnosed 
his own case. 

Poisons taken into the body are alcohol, tobacco, 
tea, coffee, drugs, foul air, impure water, tainted 
and unwholesome food. 

These poisons may act in one or two ways: they 
41 



42 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

may irritate and produce an abnormal condition in 
the nerve cells and nerve fibers that make up the 
sensory part of the brain ; or they may cause head- 
ache by producing congestion of the brain, which in 
turn may irritate the sensory part of the brain, or 
that part of the brain where we recognize sensations 
of pain. 

Avoid Toxic Causes 

The first step in treatment is to remove the 
cause, which is not a difficult matter if you are will- 
ing to live a rational life. Discontinue entirely the 
use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee and other drugs 
and poisons. Live outdoors as much as possible. 
The sleeping and living rooms should be carefully 
ventilated. It is important to remember that air 
is a material thing, and that in the ventilation of 
rooms no fresh air can be taken in until the foul 
air is allowed to pass out. 

The water supply should be pure and of the best 
quality, free from organic material or germs, and 
preferably should be free from inorganic salts, es- 
pecially lime salts. Pure soft water is more whole- 
some than that which contains a large amount of 
inorganic salts that produce hardness of the water. 

Tainted foods and excessive amounts of food 
should be avoided, as also foods containing putre- 
factive germs, the chemical poisons of which often 



CONGESTIVE HEADACHE 43 

cause ptomaine and other forms of poisoning that 
are associated with severe headaches and other dis- 
tressing symptoms. Have the food of the very best 
quality, properly cooked, nutritious, wholesome and 
palatable without being stimulating, and free from 
poisonous germs or chemical poisons of any kind. 
Foods rich in nitrogenous substances — the pro- 
teins — are often the cause of headache, a fact that 
has been attested by scientific experiments. These 
should be taken in moderation at all times, and 
should be omitted entirely for a few meals, during 
an attack of headache. 

Protein foods include meat, fish, eggs, nuts, peas, 
beans, lentils, etc. 

Autotoxic Poisons 

Autotoxic headaches are produced by poisons 
formed within the body itself. These poisons are 
developed first in the alimentary canal, and for the 
most part, at least, in the large intestine or colon; 
also they may be due to hepatic or renal insufficiency 
— which means, in simple terms, inactivity of the 
liver and kidneys. 

Our attention in more recent times has been 
drawn to the importance of poisons formed in the 
alimentary canal, particularly in the colon. These 
poisons are the result of the activity of certain 
putrefactive germs that live and multiply and by 



44 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

their life processes produce chemical poisons in the 
colon. They are soluble and absorbable, being ab- 
sorbed into the blood and carried to the brain and 
other parts of the body. They irritate the delicate 
nerve cells of the brain, and also act very much in 
the same way as the toxic substances described in 
the previous paragraphs. 

An inactive liver may also be responsible for the 
production and accumulation of poisons in the body. 
One of the chief functions of the liver is to destroy 
poisons which the circulating blood brings to it 
from the food canal. If the liver is not doing its 
w^ork, these poisons are allowed to enter the circu- 
lation, and they finally reach the brain. In many 
cases of headache, the kidneys are also inactive. 
They need not necessarily be organically diseased, 
but on account of their inactivity, poisons which 
they should aid in eliminating from the body are 
retained and accumulate, being carried to the brain, 
where they irritate the sensory nerve cells. 

Get Rid of Poisons 

The first essential in the treatment of headache 
is to help the body rid itself of poisons. It is of 
great importance that we take good care of the 
teeth. Many people suffer from decayed teeth and 
pyorrhea alveolaris — Riggs' disease. Poisons are 
generated constantly in the mouth and about the 



CONGESTIVE HEADACHE 45 

teeth ; some of them are swallowed into the stomach 
or absorbed through the mucous membrane of the 
mouth and taken into the system in this way, caus- 
ing severe autointoxication or autoinfection. One 
should see the dentist and have the mouth and teeth 
thoroughly examined and properly treated whenever 
treatment is needed. 

In certain conditions, such as rheumatism and 
gout, toxic headaches are often a common symptom. 
There is a disturbance of metabolism — that is, a 
disturbance in the physical and chemical changes 
which normally take place in the body. There is 
usually also a lack of oxidation, so that the waste 
material in the body is not completely burned up. 
In this condition, the body is in very much the 
same condition as a furnace that has become clogged 
with cinders that have not been completely burned. 
The cinders block and choke the air passages to the 
furnace, and thus not only prevent the free circula- 
tion of air and oxygen in the furnace, but be- 
cause they have not been completely burned, they 
themselves are difficult to remove. In the human 
body, when the waste material or food substances 
have not been completely oxidized or burned up, the 
waste is not easily eliminated, and lingers behind in 
the joints and other parts of the body, and, reaching 
the membrane of the brain, causes congestive head- 
aches. 



46 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

Avoid food that contains too large a proportion 
of protein. In a normal ration for a healthy in- 
dividual, the proportion of protein in the food 
should be about one-tenth of the total quantity. The 
food should consist largely of well-cooked cereals, 
fresh vegetables and ripe fruits. Take plenty of 
time to eat, chewing the food thoroughly. Never 
eat when the body is tired or after strenuous exercise. 
Rest first. 

See that the bowels move thoroughly at least once 
a day. With many people in middle or after middle 
life, where there is a tendency to constipation, two or 
three movements a day are quite essential. A free 
use of fruit is excellent, and will aid in keeping the 
bowels open. Drink plenty of pure water — at 
least six to eight glasses a day. Water puts the 
poisons of the body in solution and carries them to 
various eliminative organs so that they may be 
removed. 

One of the best ways of getting rid of poisons in 
the body is to exercise in the open air. Indeed, the 
body depends to a very great extent upon the lungs 
for the elimination of its poisons. Exercise increases 
the activity of the heart, improves the circulation of 
the blood, brings the poisons of the body to the lungs 
and other excretory organs; exercise increases the 
perspiration, the skin being one of the main elim- 
inative agents. Exercise should be taken in the open 



CONGESTIVE HEADACHE 47 

air in order that more oxygen may be taken into the 
body for burning up the poisonous wastes. 

To Relieve Congestion of the Head 

Apply those derivative measures that will draw 
the blood from the vessels of the brain into other 
parts of the body. For this purpose use a warm 
bath 96° to 98°F., lasting fifteen minutes. Dur- 
ing the bath, keep applied to the head a cloth fre- 
quently wrung out of cold water. 

Hot foot baths are also an excellent remedy, as 
also hot blanket packs to the hips and legs, this latter 
treatment being given as follows: It is usually best 
to keep the patient in his own bed, so that after the 
pack, he can go to sleep without being disturbed or 
excited by moving from one room to another. The 
first step is to spread out upon the bed a dry blanket ; 
upon this place a woolen blanket that has been wrung 
out of water as hot as can be borne by the naked 
hands, and upon this in turn another dry blanket. 
Then have the patient lie down upon the blankets 
and snugly wrap the blankets about the hips and 
legs. A rubber bag containing hot water should 
also be placed at the feet. 

Before giving this treatment, it is well to make 
certain that the bowels have moved. For this pur- 
pose, an enema of a temperature of from 98° to 
100° F. may be given. Also the patient should 



48 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

drink two glasses of hot water at the beginning of 
the treatment, and remain in the pack from twenty 
to thirty minutes, or until a gentle or moderate 
perspiration is produced. The head should be kept 
cool during the pack by means of towels wrung out 
of cold water. On removing the patient from the 
pack, sponge him off gently or cool off with a towel 
rub, making certain that the body is thoroughly 
dried. The patient is then ready to go to sleep with- 
out further disturbance. 

A hot foot bath is often efficacious in giving speedy 
relief. This consists merely in putting the feet into 
a bucket filled with water as hot as can be borne, 
and wrapping the legs in such a way as to prevent the 
heat from escaping, and in the meantime sipping hot 
water or hot lemonade. These warm applications 
serve to dilate the surface blood-vessels and thus 
draw the blood back to the skin, and away from the 
congested head. 

In all cases of headache, whatever the cause, make 
sure that the stomach and bowels receive proper 
attention, as the absorption of poisons from the in- 
testinal tract may act with the other causes in keep- 
ing up the headache. The bowels should be emptied 
by a warm enema. 



CHAPTER VI 
Anemic and Neuralgic Headache 

In cases of general anemia, when the blood is 
impoverished or tainted, and also in any case where 
great debility and exhaustion is present, a constant 
headache is an ever present symptom. The patient 
is usually pale and listless, which is a quite different 
condition from a congestive headache case with the 
flushed face and excited restlessness. 

Malignant disease, the presence of pus in the body, 
tuberculosis, lactation, hemorrhage of any part, and 
mal-nutrition, as well as pernicious, and other forms 
of anemia, are all conditions that may be accom- 
panied by an anemic headache. 

These disorders cause a lack of blood in the brain 
— there is not enough to do the work of the brain. 
The anemic headache often changes from a sharp 
darting pain to a *' clawing " sensation ; sometimes 
the patient describes it as " a tight band about the 
head." Lying down usually relieves the headache, 
as that position favors the flow of the blood to the 
head; for this reason less discomfort is felt in the 

49 



50 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

early morning hours. Anemic patients do not sleep 
well at -night but are often stupidly drowsy in the 
day-time. Light and sound increase the headache. 
The beating, or pulsation, of the large blood-vessels 
in the neck is feeble, again quite different from the 
pounding throb in congestive headache. 

To cure the anemic headaches, more and better 
blood must be made by carefully following a nourish- 
ing dietary. Plenty of fresh air is needed. The 
patient should lie down as much as possible, and it 
often helps to elevate the feet and legs by cushions, or 
placing blocks under the foot of the bed or couch 
so that the head of the patient is lower than her 
feet. 

In an advanced stage of anemia where serious dis- 
ease is present, the patient appreciates the need of a 
physician's care, but in the beginning of anemia and 
where the headaches seem the chief symptom, patients 
are very likely to direct their own treatment ; in hy- 
gienic living is often found a complete cure. It takes 
time and patience. Especially must all drugs and 
opiates be avoided. It is the anemic headache patient 
who clamors for relief from the nerve pain and who 
demands a remedy for insomnia due to pain. It is 
also the anemic patient whose listlessness and need of 
lying down during the day makes her sure that a 
*' tonic '' IS needed — something to tone her blood and 
take away the " tired feeling." 



ANEMIC AND NEURALGIC HEADACHE 51 

Harmful Remedies 

Patent medicines make a powerful appeal to such 
sufferers. Fortunately our public health laws and 
the campaign against patent medicines, alcohol and 
drugs are making it difficult for people to be the vic- 
tims of their own imprudence. Nothing could pos- 
sibly do so much harm in anemia as alcohol, sedatives 
and pain-numbing drugs. The use of stimulating 
medicines and the various prescriptions too often 
given to neuralgic cases do very little good. It is like 
whipping a starved, exhausted horse to speed him up, 
or trying to start a broken machine. Patiently, day 
after day, the blood must be fed, and the upbuilding 
of the body accompHshed by rational, natural 
methods. 

Curative Remedies 

Sleeping and resting in the open air, a diet rich in 
blood building elements, the hydrotherapeutic treat- 
ment — these are the remedies for anemic headaches 
and later we shall have our talk on these methods. 
The local application of heat, moist and dry, is the 
panacea for neuralgic pain. Rarely, a patient prefers 
cold instead of heat. Fomentations to the head, a hot 
water bag, and electricity wonderfully relieve anemic 
headaches. Cool sponge baths, the affusion, and the 
tonic baths are indicated in anemia. Hot packs, hot 



52 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

foot and leg baths, and all the derivative measures 
that draw the blood from the head are contra- 
indicated in anemia. What we want to do is to 
establish a better circulation so that there is more 
blood in the brain ; and the quality of the blood must 
also be changed for the better. 



CHAPTER VII 
Emotion Headache 

There is no state of mind that so quickly affects the 
regular, organic working of the brain as strong emo- 
tion, and so it is only natural that emotion excites 
various nervous disorders — headaches, epilepsy and 
even insanity. 

The character of the pain in emotional headache is 
throbbing, or "splitting'' — sufferers often say, ** I 
have a splitting headache," and " my head feels as if 
it would burst." The distress varies in intensity 
from a dull ache to an acute pain. 

The stronger the emotions, the more likely they 
are to cause headaches. One is apt to think of a vio- 
lent fit of temper, or some great grief, as the kind of 
emotion that produces headaches, but vexation, 
anxiety and the " worry " habit are more common 
causes. Suspense or joy — any profound emotion 
will bring on a headache. Sometimes listening to 
fine music, or seeing a play, will so work on the feel- 
ings as to end in a bad headache. 

53 



54 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

The Excitement of Anticipation 

Excitement is a condition that accompanies an 
emotion, and yet it may occur independently of a 
special outburst ; that is, a person may give way to a 
tempest of anger or sorrow, and then sometime after 
the attack has passed, he remains in a state of nervous 
excitement which we may compare to the ground- 
swell of the ocean after a storm. The whole nervous 
system is in a different condition from what it was 
before the emotional outburst. Sometimes in pre- 
paring for a holiday, or a party, or some unusual 
social function, an individual may be quite excited, or 
** nerved up," as the saying is; here the excitement is 
attached to the event and yet quite distinct from it. 

Probably the most exciting form of emotion is ex- 
perienced when one is in suspense, as when in doubt 
as to the course of an illness, the safety of a friend, 
or the result of a business deal. Then, too, mental 
anxiety before a school or college examination, be- 
fore entering a race or a shooting match, or before 
any trial of skill causes great excitement. In 
these cases, there is not much, if any, outward show- 
ing of excitement, as there is in a fit of anger ; one is 
in a state of suppressed excitement, and the result is 
great nervous tension. Suppressed excitement is 
often worse in the long run than the emotion that ex- 
plodes in muscular action, like an outburst of tern- 



EMOTION HEADACHE 55 

per; where there is an outlet for the emotion, the 
excitement passes off much more quickly and a severe 
headache is less likely to follow. 

The Emotional Temperament 

From what has been said, it is easily understood 
why temperament is such a factor in headaches. A 
person with an emotional temperament is more apt to 
have headaches than the stolid individual who is not 
easily stirred. The stolid, matter-of-fact one may 
never reach the heights of joy or the depths of sorrow 
that the impressionable person experiences, but he is 
at least saved much nervous disturbance; he is the 
man who more often says, " I never have headaches.'' 
We often find families who are prone to headaches, 
especially in the female line, and in these cases the 
suiferers have inherited the emotional temperament. 

On the other hand, while emotion causes headache, 
it may also relieve it, temporarily, at least ; a sudden 
fright, the need of meeting an emergency, or some 
especially cheerful and interesting episode will cause 
one ** to forget '' a headache. 

Self-Control 

Those who have a decided emotional temperament 
should be trained to keep under that side of their 
nature. Parents should carefully . study the dispo- 
sitions of children and care should be taken to repress 



56 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

any tendency to excitability. Such children must go 
to bed early, and not be allowed to attend theaters, 
" movies,*' or shows that are unduly exciting. 
Pleasure and entertainment can be provided without 
the intensely exciting element. Give a child's teach- 
ers a hint in regard to his temperament, so the school 
influence may work in line with the home influence. 
Above all things, any reference to his nervousness, 
emotional disposition, etc., should never be made in a 
young child's presence. He is apt to feel that it is 
a distinction, or an excuse for being indulged. 
When a child gets old enough to understand the situ- 
ation, it is best to explain " temperament " to him ; 
that will help him to find his own leading traits and 
he will be saved more than one rude shock and much 
needless wear and tear. 

The Worry Habit 

It is particularly desirable for everybody to realize 
that " worry " is the most universal emotion that 
causes headache. The continued, suppressed excite- 
ment of worry has a most destructive effect upon the 
nervous system. Doctors are continually harping 
upon the fact, and telling people to cultivate the habit 
of banishing worry. Children can be taught this 
mental habit. What good does worry do? Just at 
first, to be anxious about a thing will prompt one to 
take fit action, but beyond that, worry is positively 



EMOTION- HEADACHE 57 

harmful for it tends to paralyze effort and it surely 
causes pain — headache. 

Emotional people are impulsive, quick to act, 
always " on the go," and they speak rapidly and talk 
much. A physician who specializes in nervous dis- 
eases, not long ago said : " Too much talking often 
causes nervous prostration." Emotional people must 
try to be slow and deliberate in their movements and 
speech, and to cultivate composure. Misdirected 
nervous energy must be turned into proper channels 
of physical expression. 

The Cure for Restlessness 

Restlessness of mind and body can find a safe out- 
let in regular open air exercise. Any of the sports 
— swimming, horseback riding, tennis and golf are 
aids to composure, and especially golf ; the body must 
be trained to obey a well balanced mind, and golf 
demands just the right proportion of mental and 
physical concentration to aid in acquiring poise. 
Comparatively few people have golf privileges, but 
a brisk walk every day — a long walk — will banish 
many an emotional mood. 

Deep emotions can be met in a way to give new 
strength and power for use if we have a sane 
philosophy and a sound body to meet it. But this 
sort of poise is the result of years of experience and 
self-control; it is possible, however, for a person 



58 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

calmly to meet exciting events at short notice if he 
understands his emotional temperament and is deter- 
mined to maintain poise. In a word, emotional, 
headaching people must resolve ** to go softly all 
their days/' 

How the Physician Can Help 

A physician may often be of help in relieving head- 
aches of this kind by taking a personal interest in the 
daily life and affairs of his patient and endeavoring 
to help him in arranging his personal matters so that 
the cause of the worry or anxiety may be reduced or 
entirely removed. 

Cases of this kind open up to the sympathetic and 
interested physician a field of usefulness of which he 
does not always take advantage. Of course, it is 
useless to tell the patient to stop worrying, when the 
cause of the worry is hanging over him all the time 
and is continually active in producing his headache. 
But the physician should take a friendly interest in 
his patient and see if there is anything which he can 
do to remove the causes that are responsible, not only 
for the headache, but also for other troubles. Every 
physician should practice this sort of mental healing. 

Since headaches caused by mental conditions 
usually produce congestion of the brain, the treat- 
ment for headaches of this kind should include such 
measures as will reduce the congestion. It is im- 



EMOTION HEADACHE 59 

portant always to keep in mind the general health. 
For no matter what the cause of the headache may 
be, the greater the bodily vigor and the better the 
general health, the more power the patient will have 
to resist and combat both the cause of the headache 
and the headache itself. 

Control the Temper 

There is a variety of emotional headache that the 
writer thinks worthy of special emphasis, aside from 
reference already made to it. One cannot have good 
health unless he controls his temper. It is not only 
the great rages and violent bursts of anger that dis- 
turb normal functions, but also the habit of irritation 
and impatience. 

There are some people who are entirely upset when 
the weather does not suit their plans, while there are 
others to whom scorched breakfast toast is a tragedy. 
The lack of poise that is manifested in constant fret- 
ting and fault finding has a very bad eifect upon the 
health. 

We are all familiar with the angry appearance of 
the human countenance — it shows in the eyes, the 
set jaws, the scowls, the flush or pallor of the face; 
the rigid body and clenched fists are additional signs 
of intense feeling. When one is very angry, he feels 
the heart beating rapidly, his ears hum, and his 
muscles twitch ; the knees feel weak, the mouth be- 



60 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

comes parched, and he is nearly choked with wrath. 
Then comes the outburst! 

Emotion Retards Normal Functions 

It is easy to believe that such a condition of emo- 
tion profoundly affects the whole bodily economy, 
and this is precisely what happens. 

The dry mouth, which is a symptom of great 
anxiety as well as of anger, is due to a sudden sup- 
pression of secretion of the saliva. In India, prac- 
tical use was made of this fact in what was known as 
'* the ordeal of rice." When several persons were 
suspected of crime, the consecrated rice was given 
them to chew, and this after a time was expectorated 
upon the leaf of the sacred fig tree. If any one 
ejected it dry, that was taken as proof that fear of 
discovery had stopped salivary secretion and the per- 
son was found guilty. 

Experiments have proved that the gastric juice 
flow is also stopped by great excitement. Not long 
since, Oechsler reported that the secretion of pan- 
creatic juice and bile are also checked, and therefore 
all the means of bringing about chemical changes in 
the food are lacking during a period of excitement and 
for some time after. It is also true that the churn- 
ing and wave-like movements of the stomach and 
intestines are wholly stopped when one is greatly 
excited. 



EMOTION HEADACHE 61 

This effect upon the digestive organs takes place 
in a modified degree when one gives way to the milder 
feelings of anger which we call irritation, fretfulness 
and impatience. If the habits of cheerfulness, seren- 
ity and good temper are not cultivated, and if one 
goes about looking for trouble and allowing himself 
to get " all worked up " over trifles, a sort of diges- 
tive inertia is established, and gradually dyspepsia in 
some form appears ; then we may get the reflex con- 
dition — that is, the morose temperament that results 
from recognized functional or organic indiges- 
tion. 

Hormones 

Scientists have discovered that the secretions of the 
ductless glands (like the thyroid and adrenal bodies) 
pass directly into the blood. These glands produce 
" hormones," w^hich powerfully influence the func- 
tions of the body, either favorably or unfavorably. 
Now the emotional states change the secretive hor- 
mones, as well as other secretions of the body. 

Under the stress of anger or irritation, there is an 
increase of blood sugar, coagulation, and blood pres- 
sure, with a corresponding effect upon muscular 
tissue. The nerves that control the heart's action 
and breathing are unfavorably affected by a bad 
temper. When we see a scowling face and hear a 
3Colding voice, we know that much more is going 



62 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

on inside that person than appears, disagreeable and 
unhappy as the manifestation is. 

The writer recalls one case of a woman who had 
a very bad temper which made her a real burden to 
her family. All her life, she had been given to dis- 
agreeable fits, when she would scold and berate every- 
body within sight and sound, or lapse into a sullen 
state. She had not been properly disciplined as a 
child, and all sorts of excuses were made for her 
*' spells." It was this woman's boast that she had 
always been well except for congestive headaches, and 
never had a doctor. One day at the age of fifty-five, 
she had a stroke of apoplexy, which left her partially 
paralyzed. The family thought it a strange hap- 
pening and a sister said : ** She has not had one of 
her ugly fits for quite a while, so excitement couldn't 
have caused it." 

The physician, however, knew that it was the life- 
long habit of temper that had, little by little, under- 
mined the bodily integrity until the stroke came upon 
the victim of her own unfortunate lack of self- 
control. 

It is, indeed, highly important to cultivate an 
indifference to small annoyances and learn to control 
temper, or congestive headaches will be the least of 
the disorders produced by the poisons of such emo- 
tional excitement. 



CHAPTER VIII 
The Headache of Monotony 

There is a type of headache that is really in a class 
by itself, and may properly be called the headache 
due to the monotony of daily routine. It is a 
psychological condition rather than a pathological or 
diseased state, and illustrates the saying that *' va- 
riety is the spice of life.'' 

The character of the pain in this peculiar headache 
varies v^ith the individual ; it may be somewhat sharp 
like neuralgia, or perhaps a throbbing ache, but it is 
usually more of a dull, miserable pressure and dis- 
comfort. 

This sort of headache does not put one to bed, but 
it takes all the energy and purpose out of life, and 
makes the days seem forty-eight hours long. The 
day may begin fairly well, but after a few hours, a 
depressed, discouraged feeling takes possession of one, 
and by the middle of the afternoon, the usual head- 
ache is on, and the weariness and listlessness are al- 
most unbearable. One manages to drag through the 

6Z 



64 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

day's duties, and then gets to bed as soon as pos- 
sible, feeling that he has lived through one more day. 

Drugs Do not Cure It 

Now this is a rather melancholy description, and 
yet there are thousands of people who are suffering 
with just this sort of disorder and so are leading a 
joyless existence. Such patients (and they are 
patient in more than one way) rarely consult a 
physician because their general health seems fairly 
good, and while their appetites are not keen, they eat 
sufficient food ; the only bad S5^mptom is this weary 
head, day after day, with an occasional let-up. 

Another fact is, that those who suffer from this 
type of headache often are so situated that they feel 
a doctor's bill is a luxury and an expense not to be 
incurred, save in severe illness; therefore, these 
patients are easy victims of the dangerous and often 
fatal ** headache powders " and patent medicine 
" tonics." These poison stuffs are widely advertised 
to cure headaches like magic, and to put " tone " into 
jaded bodies. Where one is soothed and braced by 
these pernicious drugs, life does seem more worth 
while for a time, but before long the suiferers find 
themselves craving these remedies; drug habits are 
formed, and a condition is established so much worse 
than the original trouble that there is no comparison. 

Now let us see if, by getting at the real cause of 



THE HEADACHE OF MONOTONY 65 

the headaches of monotony, we cannot find a rational 
cure. 

The Life of Deadly Sameness 

Who are the people who have this kind of head- 
ache? They are men and women who lead a life of 
deadly sameness, whose work necessarily is without 
stimulating variety and who have little opportunity 
for social companionship or entertainment. 

There are many women (especially on isolated 
farms in the country) who lead a very hard, work- 
ing life from early dawn until bedtime, and who are 
very much alone day after day. There is no variety 
of interest. Every day is like another, and after 
years of this monotonous life, the steady headaches 
develop because a stagnation in normal brain activity, 
with congestion of the circulation in the brain, is 
present, there is no stimulating mental life and no 
outlet for individual expression. Wherever there is 
congestion and suppression in the body, there is 
physical discomfort, and always headache. 

There is also a large body of men who are keeping 
books in business houses, who are poring over monot- 
onous columns of data all day and are mere human 
adding machines. Their minds necessarily run in 
grooves and they come to the end of the working day, 
tired, head aching, and without any ambition except 
to rest. These are the men who are easily tempted 



66 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

to take a glass of beer or stronger drink with the 
hastily bolted lunch, or after work hours, and in 
addition to headaches, the liquor habit is too often 
formed as a result of taking a drink to drive away 
the headaches caused by monotonous labor. 

Stenographers find themselves with the same kind 
of headaches when their work is not of a varied, 
interesting nature. There is something about the 
steady tapping and clicking sound of the typewriting 
machine keys that " gets on the nerves " after one has 
done this kind of work a long time. A list of mo- 
notonous occupations could easily be cited, but these 
few answer our purpose. 

Have a Hobby 

If the daily labor is genuinely interesting to a man 
or woman, it is not monotonous. The interest saves 
the situation. 

Somebody must do the uninteresting, unchanging 
work; and since so much work is done mechanically, 
solely as the means whereby a living is made, ways 
must be found to keep alive the enthusiasms and to 
bring variety into a dull, colorless life. 

Workers must get away from the irksome daily 
task, and by having a hobby, prevent the headaches 
due to tread-mill occupation. They must follow up 
some special open-air sport — golf is wonderfully 
good exercise for muscles and mind — some branch 



THE HEADACHE OF MONOTONY dl 

of horticulture, bird-study; go to a gymnasium, 
attend a course of lectures — force themselves to do 
something entirely outside their line of work. The 
craze for attending moving picture shows has reached 
such a point that physicians are forced to restrain 
people from too frequent attendance at these enter- 
tainments. Eye-strain, headaches, impure air dis- 
orders and undue excitement are results of too much 
** movie '' dissipation. But when other better things 
are not accessible, and occasionally in any case, a 
really good moving picture show will be of great 
benefit to any one whose work tends to monotony. 
There are educational and fine dramatic plays thrown 
on the screen in these days of film censorship that are 
good for stale bodies and weaiy brains; a dull mind 
makes a stale body. 

When the day's work is over, in spite of headache 
and weariness, it is best to take a sponge bath and 
make a change from the working clothes. It is easier 
to lay aside the working habit of mind if the working 
garments are removed. To take a walk, to read 
something interesting, to have a little music — even 
if it is machine made — to make a call on some one 
who will not talk shop, unless it is a different shop 
— these are refreshing, curative things to do. 

Those who live in the country, away from neigh- 
bors, must deliberately set themselves to choosing a 
hobby for their leisure time, or finding something to 



68 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

occupy the thoughts pleasantly and profitably while 
doing manual labor. To work in a singing mood is 
to drive away dullness. 

Variety is the spice of life, and if your daily life 
has lacked variety so long that you are a victim of 
the headaches due to monotony, these suggestions may 
help you in finding some special spice that will effect 
a cure and create a growing interest in the day's work. 



CHAPTER IX 
What to Eat 

Dietetics is not a matter of guess work but of 
science. Many years ago when diet was guess work 
and personal experimenting, patients sometimes did 
well on a diet, or sometimes they grew worse, and 
nobody knew just why or how these results came 
about — there was no definite method used. 

Experiments in laboratories and in kitchens where 
food chemistry principles have been practically 
worked out, enable the housewife to-day to prepare 
proper food in the best possible way that makes for 
the health of the family. This work has not been 
a matter of a few years but of many, and the most 
earnest students of science have devoted themselves 
to this line of work. Chittenden, Benedict, Wendel, 
Pawlow, Fisher, Kellogg and a host of other investi- 
gators have successfully struggled with the food prob- 
lem, for the benefit of a public that has so far been 
unwilling to profit by their labors to any great extent. 

Physicians realize, and they tell their patients, that 
certain diseases are largely prevented and cured by 
attention to dietetics and rules of hygiene. 

69 



70 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

There are many popular sayings that emphasize 
the importance of the food question : " Tell me what 
you eat and I will tell you what you are/' but men 
do not like to be called swine or oxen. *' What a 
man eats to-day walks around to-morrow '* ; it is 
not courteous to call a woman a hen, or to suggest 
that a man struts like a turkey; yet pork, beef and 
poultry are eaten in enormous quantities. *' Men 
dig their graves with their teeth,'' and largely because 
of poor food and neglect, the natural tools decay first 
so that an artificial set is bought to finish the job. 

Food Causes and Cures Headaches 

The toxic and autotoxic varieties form by far the 
largest per cent of headaches, and in food selection 
we have the remedy in our own hands. In order to 
enable the headache victim to properly select his food, 
we will consider, somewhat briefly, the question of 
dietetics. We have already referred to the need of 
a low protein diet in congestive headaches, and the 
necessity for feeding and building up a starved, 
anemic system over-run with neuralgia ; more definite 
instruction in regard to the right kind of food in 
these conditions will be helpful and far more useful 
in curing headaches than prescriptions of medicine. 

The writer has proved in his many years of prac- 
tice that it is possible for patients to carry out speci- 
fied dietaries in their own homes if they choose to 



WHAT TO EAT 71 

do SO, Many cases that go through a sanitarium, 
or while under a physician's advice, are temporarily 
helped — practically cured. But if bad habits of 
eating and living are resumed, it is only reasonable 
to expect bad bodily conditions to return. It is nec- 
essary to be careful of the diet and perseveringly to 
follow rules of hygiene if one really wishes to enjoy 
health and be free from headache. 

The sparsely fed poor people are vastly better off 
than the well-to-do farmer whose table (and 
stomach) is often laden with fried pork, pancakes 
and pie; his automobiles and the convenient trolley 
lines have not carried this type of farmer entirely 
away from old, established customs of eating. The 
rich city folks who are given to lobster luncheons and 
late death-dealing dinners may take a different route 
from the aforesaid farmer, but they both lose their 
health on the way — only the farmer's outdoor life 
gives him a longer run. 

It is not saying too much to add that the meager 
meals of the poor man also give him an advantage 
over the one in comfortable, moderate circumstances. 
Why? He has no money to buy other than the 
simplest food, and not so much of that as to over-eat. 
His body thrives in spite of so-called privations. 
People often say: " How is it that the children of 
the very poor seem so well and strong when they don't 
get half enough to eat? " The fact is, by far the 



72 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

greater number get very nearly as much as is good 
for them — a great deal more than " half enough.*' 
The great trouble with the majority of people — 
Americans certainly — is that they over eat every 
day and at every meal, and that their food is selected 
with absolutely no regard for its natural and rational 
purpose. Of course we have headaches. If a stone 
is thrown into a pool, it makes ever widening circles 
to the water's edge, and so the wrong food makes a 
disturbance in the digestive fluids that is felt all over 
the body. 

Bad Habits in Eating 

All our lives, from the time the baby is given 
" tastes " of cake, sweets and meats, until we are able 
to choose our own food, the natural body-hunger is 
not considered, but only the cultivated desire for 
things a vitiated palate craves. A natural appetite 
is rarely found — perverted taste controls food selec- 
tion. An abnormal taste habit is one of the most 
difficult to overcome ; the longer it has been in force, 
the harder it is to reform. That is why patients are 
so seldom able to adhere to a strict diet; so many 
times one says: " I cannot deny myself when it comes 
to food." 

When the bodily disease is so serious that one 
stands on the edge of the grave, or when pain is so 
keen as to be almost unbearable, then it is compara- 



WHAT TO EAT 12i 

tively easy to follow a diet. But why wait until 
things reach such a pass ? It would seem that health, 
comfort, and a long life are sufficiently desirable to 
be worth paying the sane price of decent living. 

Since toxemia and autointoxication are not only 
disgraceful but needless disorders, let us see how one 
should eat to avoid them, and thus escape so much 
of bad headache as goes with these conditions. 

Classification of Foods 

There are three principal classes of foods, and 
these food elements in proper proportion are abso- 
lutely necessary to the health of the body. First, 
protein which builds blood and tissue: Second, car- 
bohydrates which supply the energy and heat: 
Third, fats which support work and heat. 

To the protein class belong lean meats, eggs, milk, 
cheese, nuts, legumes and cereals. 

Carbohydrates include the starches, sugars, and 
cellulose. Cereals, potatoes, and other vegetables 
are starch foods. Sugars are abundant in fruits, 
sugar cane, sugar beet, and in maple sap. 

Fats are found in fat meat, milk, butter, egg yolks, 
olives, nuts, and in some plant seeds — cotton seed, 
for example. 

In addition to these body nourishing food elements, 
there are certain body regulating food materials that 
are necessary to health: Namely, cellulose, mineral 



74 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

salts, fruit acids, vitamines and water — about sev- 
enty per cent of the body is water. 

Mineral matter is contained in milk, fruits, vege- 
tables and cereals. It is needed as bone and hard 
tissue food, and increases or decreases the alkalinity 
of the blood in proportion to its intake. 

Cellulose is in all vegetables, fruits, and cereals, 
especially in the coarse vegetables and in the bran of 
cereals. 

Vitamines 

Vitamines are substances contained in small 
amounts in foods and they exert a marked and not 
entirely understood influence upon growth and 
health. We know that they are essential and are 
abundantly found in fruits, vegetables and butter fat. 
Because they are probably partially or wholly 
destroyed by cooking at high temperature, it is best 
to eat considerable of the uncooked fruits and fresh 
vegetables in order to be sure we get sufficient 
vitamines. 

Overeating 

Any food taken in excess may produce disease; 
food that is eaten hastily, or not properly prepared, 
will cause digestive disturbance and headache. 
There are some food substances that are more likely 
to cause trouble than others. Lean meats are rich in 



WHAT TO EAT 75 

protein and are objectionable because they contain 
toxic substances and when introduced into the body 
are liable to cause toxemia. 

Too much fat food, whether animal fat or vege- 
table fatj produces a " stuffiness '^ and lessens the 
production of gastric juice — this retards gastric 
digestion. 

Of the carbohydrates, cane sugar is especially ob- 
jectionable, as it irritates the stomach and causes 
hyperacidity. 

Spices and all condiments in excess cause catarrh 
of the stomach and bowels, and hardening of the liver. 

Tea, coffee, chocolate and cocoa have practically 
no food value and they do contain poisons which have 
the same effect in the body as uric acid. Beer and 
alcoholic beverages have little food value and are 
poisons. 

Substitutes for Meat 

There are many people who cannot take milk. 
So-called ** bilious " headaches and sick headaches are 
very often produced by drinking milk. Stale eggs 
are wholly unfit for food, and often cause very dis- 
tressing illness. Vegetable foods, especially nuts 
and the legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), contain 
all the elements found in meat, and contain them in 
a fresh and pure form ; they are free from germs and 
toxins, and they are digestible. Fruit juices, fruits. 



76 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

cereals and cereal drinks not only have their own 
place in the menu but render such beverages as tea, 
coffee, etc., unnecessary. 

The Required Food Intake 

While excess of food is very injurious, too little is 
dangerous, except when under a doctor's prescription 
by way of a remedial measure. The best authorities 
have estimated that about 2500 calories of food is a 
maximum daily ration for an average adult person in 
health. A calory is the unit for measuring food 
value. (See tables for the number of calories in 
each ounce of food.) The daily food intake should 
consist of one-tenth protein food, three-tenths fats, 
and six-tenths carbohydrates. 

We can give only general suggestions about modi- 
fying the diet to suit varying conditions. If the 
average sized individual eats over 2500 calories daily, 
he is eating more than he needs, even if his food is 
well chosen. If less than 1700 calories daily are 
eaten, the amount is too small. 

Special Diet 

If a patient is too thin and losing flesh, the amount 
of fats and protein should be increased. 

In case of a lack of gastric juice — too little acid 
— the fats must be decreased, especially oil, cream 



WHAT TO EAT 11 

and butter; nut fats are not so bad and the nuts con- 
tain the needed protein. For a time, one can cut 
down the fat intake one-third of normal amount. 

When evidences of autointoxication are present, 
the protein allowance must be lowered about two- 
thirds, and for a short time may be almost cut out. 
Coated tongue, bad breath, constipation, foul smell- 
ing stools, gas in stomach or bowels, and frequent 
congestive headaches are all autointoxication signs. 

Food Characteristics 

In reducing and modifying the diet, it is essential 
to watch not only the effect on the disease symptoms 
but also the individual's weight, strength and energy. 

The antitoxic foods are those that increase or 
stimulate the gastric juice and for that reason are 
germicidal. Acid fruits and juices are antitoxic. 

The foods which lessen gastric juice are suitable 
in all cases of increased acidity of the stomach: 
cream (when one can digest it), butter, nuts, ripe 
olives, olive oil, and all fats. 

Laxative foods are sugar, honey, sirups, sweet 
fruits, and fruit juices. (Acid fruits are also laxa- 
tive.) Fats encourage intestinal action. Foods that 
carry an amount of indigestible substance help move 
the bowels because of their bulk and are prescribed 
always unless there is some mechanical intestinal ob- 



78 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

struction — a ** kink/' or an adhesion. Bran mixed 
with cereals, or in soups, fruit sauces, or cooked in 
bread, is a highly laxative food material. 

The constipating foods are those which contain 
little residue. Rice, fine wheat flour, cornstarch, 
gelatin, white of egg, oatmeal mush, gruels, boiled 
milk and such things are highly constipating. Cereal 
preparations that are not over-cooked, and not made 
into mush, are not constipating — they have bulk. 
Rye and graham porridge is prescribed in cases of 
constipation, especially when eaten with prunes, 
apples and cooked fruits; the combination is more 
laxative than are the coarse grains alone. 

The fattening foods are those that are rich in fats, 
starch or sugar; they require thorough mastication 
to be well digested. No food can be assimilated or 
used by the body until it is digested, and it is the 
assimilated food that counts as nourishment. 



CHAPTER X 
Diet List 

The following tables will enable one to intelli- 
gently plan a dietary to suit existing conditions. 
The figures in the Diet List are based upon United 
States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 28, and 
data furnished by the research laboratory of the 
Battle Creek Sanitarium. The Life Insurance 
Tables of Heights and Weights are used in connec- 
tion with food estimates. 

How to Plan a Diet 

To illustrate the planning of a dietary, we will sup- 
pose a case of a very thin woman who suffers with 
the symptoms of autointoxication : Congestive head- 
aches, coated tongue, constipation, etc. Her first 
need is to get rid of the autointoxication and then 
pull her weight up to normal. She finds by compar- 
ing her height in the women's table that she is under 
weight. She also notes the total number of food 
calories she needs daily, but in estimating the quan- 
tity and kinds of food, she must remember what we 

79 



80 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

have said about cutting down the protein supply and 
she must avoid foods liable to cause autointoxication. 
She will choose the laxative, antitoxic foods and by 
consulting the diet list, varied menus may be com- 
piled consisting of the right proportion and correct 
number of calories. 

Table Showing for Different Ages the Nor- 
mal Height, Weight, and the Number of 
Food Units or Calories Required Daily 



BOYS 



Age 


Height in 


Weight in 


Calories or 




Inches 


Pounds 


Food Units 


5 


41.57 


41.09 


1,000 


6 


43.75 


45.17 


1,050 


7 


45.74 


49.07 


1,100 


8 


47.76 


53.92 


1,175 


9 


49.69 


59.23 


1,250 


10 


51.58 


65.30 


1,325 


11 


53.33 


70.18 


1,400 


13 


55.11 


76.92 


1,475 


13 


57.21 


84.85 


1,550 


14 


59.88 


94.91 
GIRLS 


1,650 


Age 


Height in 


Weight in 


Calories or 




Inches 


Pounds 


Food Units 


5 


41.29 


39.66 


950 


6 


43.35 


43.28 


1,000 


7 


45.53 


47.46 


1,050 


8 


47.58 


52.04 


1,125 


9 


49.37 


57.07 


1,200 


10 


51.34 


62.35 


1,275 


11 


53.42 


68.84 


1,350 


12 


55.88 


78.31 


1,425 



DIET LIST 



81 



MEN 



Height 


Weight 


Calories or 


Food Units 




in In. 


in Pounds 


Proteins 


Fats 


Carbohydrates 


Total 


61 


131 


197 


591 


1,182 


1,970 


62 


133 


200 


600 


1,200 


2,000 


63 


136 


204 


612 


1,224 


2,040 


64 


140 


210 


630 


1,260 


2,100 


65 


143 


215 


645 


1,290 


2,150 


66 


147 


221 


663 


1,326 


2,210 


67 


152 


228 


684 


1,368 


2,280 


68 


157 


236 


708 


1,416 


2,360 


69 


162 


243 


729 


1,458 


2,430 


70 


167 


251 


753 


1,506 


2,510 


71 


173 


260 


780 


1,560 


2,600 


72 


179 


269 


807 


1,614 


2,690 


73 


185 


278 


834 


1,668 


2,780 


74 


192 


288 


864 


1,728 


2,880 


75 


200 


300 


900 


1,800 


3,000 






WOMEN 






Height 


Weight 


Calc 


ries or 


Food Units 




in In. 


in Pounds 


Proteins 


Fats 


Carbohydrates 


Total 


59 


119 


179 


537 


1,074 


1,790 


60 


122 


183 


549 


1,098 


1,830 


61 


124 


186 


558 


1,116 


1,860 


62 


127 


191 


573 


1,146 


1,910 


63 


131 


197 


591 


1,182 


1,970 


64 


134 


201 


603 


1,206 


2,010 


65 


139 


209 


627 


1,254 


2,090 


66 


143 


215 


645 


1,290 


2,150 


67 


147 


221 


663 


1,326 


2,210 


68 


151 


227 


681 


1,362 


2,270 


69 


155 


232 


696 


1,392 


2,320 


70 


159 


239 


717 


1,434 


2,390 



82 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 



DIET TABLE 

Diet List, Showing the Nutritive Value per Ounce 
of Various Foodstuffs Expressed in Calories, and the 
Number of Calories of Each Food Principle in an Or- 
dinary Serving of Food. 



Calories Per Ounce 






C »-i a 

3 O CO 



CO 


^2 


1 


146.4 


20.2 


191.1 


1.3 


28.4 


30.3 


1.3 


16.6 


18.4 





17 


17 


.8 


20.65 


21.78 


.66 


36 


39.3 


11.19 


4L7 


57.6 





15.6 


16.9 





20.5 


21.7 


8.8 


2.6 


13.9 


17 


4.9 


24.7 


26.9 


18.5 


50.7 


1.6 


25.7 


28.8 


4.73 


32.37 


40.3 


18.3 


26.4 


48.1 


.7 


10.2 


12.4 


.87 


27.24 


31.08 


3.2 


11.6 


19.1 





.5 


3.3 


11.78 


33.2 


53.72 


12.5 


33.6 


56 


6.6 


22.9 


37.5 


.8 


17 


23.28 


.8 


17 


22.5 


.5 


21.6 


30.3 


1.8 


34.6 


46 


1.47 


21.38 


30.96 


2.9 


2.2 


6 


.3 


3.6 


5.x 



i Almonds 24.5 

3J Apples, Baked 6 

5i Apples, Fresh 5 

6 Apple Juice 

Si Apple Sauce 3 

2f Apple Tapioca 2.6 

3i Apple Tart 4.76 

3 Apricots 1.3 

3i Apricot Sauce 1.2 

li Asparagus (Cooked) 2.5 

3 Asparagus in Cream 2.8 

4 Asparagus on Toast 5.3 

3j Bananas 1.5 

3i Bananas, Baked 3.2 

li Banana with Mayonnaise.. 3.4 

6 Barley Gruel 1.5 

Si Barley, Pearl 2.97 

4i Bean Broth 4.3 

4| Bean Broth (very thin) . . 2.8 

3 Bean Croquettes 8.74 

3i Beans, Baked 10 

3i Beans, Baked (Canned) .. 8 

4 Beans, Butter 5.48 

2i Beans, Green Lima 4.7 

3J Beans, Kidney 8.2 

2i Beans, Lima 9.5 

2i Beans, Navy (Cooked) ... 8.1 

4 Beans, String (Cooked) .. .9 

4 Beans, Wax (Cooked) .... 1.2 



DIET LIST 



83 



DIET TABLE — Continued. 



Calories Per Ounce 



0,5 > 



3 Beet Greens (Cooked) ... 2.6 9.1 3.7 15.4 

2i Beets (Cooked) 2.7 .3 8.6 11.6 

2i Beets, Sliced 2.7 .3 8.6 11.6 

li Biscuit, Beaten 8.4 47.3 79.2 134.9 

2g Biscuit, Cream 10.3 27.5 49.6 87.5 

1 Biscuit, Gluten 48.5 2.8 56.1 107.4 

3 Blackberries 1.5 2.6 12.7 16.8 

5i Blackberry Juice 30.3 30.3 

3 Blackberry Sauce 8 3.3 29.1 33.3 

3j Blanc Mange, Chocolate . . 3.4 22.86 16.25 42.52 

3 Blanc Mange, Cocoanut .. 3.8 36.4 17.3 57.5 

2i Blanc Mange, Farina 4.16 21.56 18.6 44.4 

5 Blood Oranges 9 .5 13.5 14.9 

2l Blueberries 7 1.6 19.4 21.7 

5l Blueberry Juice 18.9 18.9 

4i Blueberry Sauce 7 1.6 14.9 17.2 

4| Bouillon, Tomato 3.62 7.98 4.77 16.37 

4| Bouillon, Vegetable 7 4.3 7 18.3 

i Brazil Nuts 19.8 178.1 8.2 206.1 

3 Bread Custard Pudding . . 8.75 46.08 67.24 122.07 

2 Bread, Corn 8.5 12.3 52 72.8 

2 Bread, Fruit 10.4 4.7 63.4 78.5 

2 Bread, Gluten 10.8 3.7 58.1 72.6 

2 Bread, Graham 10.4 4.8 60.8 76 

2 Bread, Rye 10.5 1.6 62.1 74.2 

2 Bread, White 9.3 3.7 63.4 76.4 

2 Bread, Whole Wheat 11.3 2.4 58 71.7 

4i Broth (Vegetable) 2.8 .5 3.3 

3i Brown Betty 2.1 9.4 47 58.5 

2i Brown Gravy 1.5 30.7 3.9 36.1 

2i Browned Cream Gravy ... 7.4 32.65 13 53 

14 Buns 7.3 17.3 66.8 91.4 

ll Buns, Fruit 7.9 20.2 68.2 96.3 

Ij Buns, Nut 13.3 16.3 60.4 90 



84 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

DIET TABLE — Continued, 

Calories Per Ounce 

i Butter (Dairy) 1.2 226.6 

6 Buttermilk 3.5 1.3 

3 Cabbage, Baked 4.2 10.26 

3^ Cabbage, Baked in Tomato 1.18 2.38 

4 Cabbage, Boiled 8 6.1 

3f Cabbage, Creamed 1.5 8.1 

4 Cabbage, Steamed 8 3 

2 Cake, Coffee 7.6 40.9 

2 Cake, Frosted 6.8 24 

3 Cake, Jelly Roll 5.8 9.4 

2j Cake, Layer 8.2 45.1 

2 Cake, Nut 9.1 35.2 

li Cake, Sponge 12.4 14.2 

6f Canteloupe 7 

3| Carrots, Creamed 2.01 7.5 

3 Cauliflower, Steamed 1 6.2 

1 Celery 1.3 .3 

3f Celery and Peas 3.3 8.7 

4i Celery, Stewed 1 6.87 

2 Cheese, Cottage 19.9 12.4 

2l Cherries 1.2 2.2 

3 Cherries, White 1.2 2.2 

3 Cherry Sauce 1.2 2 

Ij Chili Sauce 4.91 2.6 

2 Cocoanuts 6.6 134.9 

3 Corn Cake 13.9 28.8 

i Corn Flakes ^^ 10.8 1.4 

2i Corn, Green Sweet 

(Cooked) 3.6 2.9 

2 Corn Pone 8 32.1 

1 Crackers, Fruit 13.2 27.2 

1 Crackers, Graham 11.7 25.1 

1 Crackers, Oatmeal 13.3 29.6 

1 Cackers, Whole Wheat . . . 11.4 26 





3 
o 





227.8 


5.6 


10.4 


4.1 


18.56 


3.39 


6.95 


1.9 


8.8 


3.7 


13.3 


1.9 


5.7 


66.8 


114.6 


74.9 


105.7 


85.2 


100.4 


76.5 


130.6 


67.1 


111.4 


94.2 


120.8 


10.9 


11.6 


10.3 


19.8 


.3 


10.2 


3.9 


5.5 


8.7 


20.7 


3.92 


11.79 


5.1 


37.3 


19.5 


22.8 


19.5 


22.8 


29.4 


32.6 


28.26 


35.8 


32.5 


174 


52.8 


95.6 


91.3 


103.5 


22 


28.5 


68.3 


108.4 


72.6 


113.1 


86.1 


122.9 


80.5 


123.8 


84.5 


121.9 



DIET LIST 85 

DIET TABLE — Continued. 

Calories Per Ounce 



O o " 



3 Cranberries (Cooked) 2 

2 Cranberry Jelly 4 

2j Cream 2.9 

2i Cream Sauce 3.7 

2 Cucumbers 9 

3 Currants, Red 1.8 

1 Currant Jelly 1.2 

3 Custard, Bread Pudding . . 8.75 

3i Custard, Plain 5.7 

2i Custard, Tapioca 4.5 

3 Dandelion Greens (Cooked) 2.8 

5j Date Pie 7 

li Dates 2.5 

2 Dates, Stuffed 4.6 

2 Dressing for Roasts 5 

2k Egg Mayonnaise Salad 13.37 

li Egg Plant 6.63 

2i Egg Sauce 4.8 

ll Eggs, Hard Jellied 16.3 

ll Eggs, Poached 16.3 

2i Eggs, Poached, on Toast . . 14.1 

2 Eggs, Scrambled 14.1 

li Eggs, Soft Jellied 16.3 

2j Eggs, Spanish 9.1 

8 Eggnog, Milk 5.9 

3 Endive 3.3 

i English Walnuts 19.4 

3i Farina 2.6 

2% Fig Pudding 4.7 

2 Figs 5 

2 Figs, Steamed 4.6 

3 Figs, Stewed 2.3 

i Filberts '..... 18.2 

3 Floating Island 5.45 12.4 21.6 39.6 



en 


-2 tfl 


3 
o 
H 


.7 


47.8 


48.7 


1 


49.7 


51.1 


49.3 


5.3 


57.5 


22.9 


9 


35.6 


.5 


3.6 


5 




14.9 


16.7 




90.1 


91.3 


46.08 


67.24 


122.07 


13 


12.5 


31.2 


17.6 


26.4 


48.3 


2.7 


12.5 


18 


24.1 


26 


57.1 


7.5 


91.5 


101.5 


27.7 


82.4 


114.7 


18.37 


24.8 


48.2 


30.66 


.46 


44.5 


26.43 


37.9 


71 


22.7 


8 


35.5 


32 




48.3 


32 




48.3 


18.28 


25.36 


57.76 


23.7 


1.45 


39.25 


32 




48.3 


31.3 


3.04 


43.47 


23 


9 


38 


1 


4.93 


9.3 


169.2 


18.2 


206.8 


.8 


18 


21.4 


15.3 


34.7 


54.7 


8 


86.6 


92.4 


.6 


73.9 


79.1 


.4 


49.4 


52.1 


174.1 


15.2 


207.5 



86 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 
DIET TABLE — Continued, 



Calories Per Ounce 










1 


.28 


2.85 


200.9 




18.9 


19.4 


.5 


11.8 


13.2 





23.8 


23.8 


3.2 


16.6 


20.9 


2.43 


34.8 


38.7 


.7 


10.2 


12.39 


.9 


6.1 


7.7 


.4 


6.8 


8 


.04 


9.1 


10.5 


1.4 


5.8 


8.5 


.3 


13.9 


17.2 


1.2 


5.8 


7.7 


9.66 


21.0 


33.3 


10.79 


17.63 


30.7 


7.1 


17.4 


27 


45.9 


59.5 


115.3 


.5 


20.7 


23.8 


.4 


14.5 


16.6 




94.7 


95.2 


.5 


20.7 


23.8 


1 


22 


26.3 




16.6 


16.6 


14.9 


17.4 


35.3 


1.01 


49.7 


51.1 


.3 


3 


3.8 




90.1 


91.3 




30.57 


30.57 




36.4 


36.4 


.23 


24.5 


25.1 




41.06 


41.06 


1.7 


8,8 


13.7 


5.6 


6.3 


15.2 




37.3 


37.3 



4 French Salad Dressing 

2j Gooseberries, Stewed 5 

3f Grape Fruit 9 

6 Grape Juice 

5 Grapes ( Atwater) 1.16 

3 Grapes, Cooked 88 

6 Gruel, Barley 1.48 

6j Gruel, Corn Flakes 7 

6l Gruel, Corn Meal 8 

4i Gruel, Farina 1.4 

6 Gruel, Oatmeal 1.3 

6 Gruel, Plain Gluten 3 

6 Gruel, Rice 7 

3 Hash, Potato and Celery.. 2.66 
3| Hash, Potatoes and Onions. 2.35 
2i Hash, Vegetable 2.5 

2 Hoecake 10 

4i Hominy 2.6 

4i Hominy Grits 1.7 

if Honey 5 

4i Hulled Corn 2.6 

5f Hulled Wheat 3.3 

3 Jelly, Cherry 

2i Jelly, Chocolate 3 

2 Jelly, Cranberry 38 

3 Jelly, Cucumber 52 

1 Jelly, Currant 1.2 

3 Jelly, Lemon 

2f Jelly, Orange 

3 Jelly, Orange and Pineapple .43 

3 Jelly, Pineapple 

3i Jelly, Tomato 3.2 

5 Kumyss 3.3 

li Lemon Sauce 



DIET LIST 



87 



DIET TABLE — Continued. 



^.s > 

no 



Calories Per Ounce 



tn 


6^ 


1 




14.2 


14.2 


.3 


22.9 


31.7 


.6 


5 


6.7 


3.86 


17.16 


26 


15.88 


17.85 


44.5 





96.6 


96.6 




83 


83 


67.1 


2.85 


76.8 


.8 


6 


10.8 


11 


5.8 


20.6 


124 


20 


178.2 


146.4 


20.2 


191.1 


146.4 


20.2 


191.1 


153.1 


15.4 


194 


163.2 


4.1 


199.8 


178.1 


8.2 


206.1 


174.1 


15.2 


207.5 


179.7 


13.3 


211 


188 


17.8 


217.8 


131.7 


8 


179.2 


131.7 


8 


179.2 


169.2 


18.2 


206.8 


1.3 


13.4 


18 


29.6 


80.5 


123.8 


1.3 


13.4 


18 


264.1 





264.1 


69.1 


5 


76.1 


59 


1 


74 


11.6 


18.98 


33.7 


4.29 


5.1 


10.52 


14.6 


5.6 


21.9 


11.02 


10.43 


24.66 


12.8 


18.3 


35.2 





15.1 


15.1 



5i Lemonade 

3 Lentils (Cooked) 8.5 

ij Lettuce with Lemon 1.1 

3 Macaroni and Tomato .... 5 

2i Macaroni au Gratin 10.8 

1 Maple Sugar 

li Maple Sirup 

li Mayonnaise, Cooked 6.87 

6j Milk, Skimmed 4 

6 Milk, Whole 3.8 

i Nut Butter 34.2 

J Nuts, Almonds 24.5 

} Nuts, Almonds Salted 24.5 

i Nuts, Beech 25.5 

I Nuts, Butter 32.5 

i Nuts, Brazil 19.8 

i Nuts, Filberts 18.2 

I Nuts, Hickory 18 

i Nuts, Pecans 11.2 

I Nuts, Pine 39.5 

i Nuts, Pine Salted 39.5 

I Nuts, Walnut, Eng. 19.4 

4i Oatmeal (Cooked) 3.3 

1 Oatmeal Wafers 13.7 

4J Oats, Rolled (Cooked) 3.3 

h Olive Oil 

1^ Olives, Ripe (7) 2 

4 Omelet 14 

3 Onions, Baked 3.16 

2j OnionSj Boiled 1.13 

3 Onions, Creamed 1.73 

3 Onions, Escalloped 3.21 

4j Onions on Toast 4.1 

5 Orange Juice 



88 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 
DIET TABLE — Continued. 



Calories Per Ounce 



ass ^ 





.3* 


1 


32.25 


68.7 


103.5 


.5 


13.5 


14.9 


.5 


13.5 


14.9 


11.85 


11.31 


25.2 


6.5 


17.29 


26.35 


12.6 


14.3 


30.2 


5.9 


9.5 


17.1 


18.4 


23.4 


54.8 


39.04 


77.24 


131.2 





20.8 


20.8 


.3 


11.6 


12.8 


.3 


19.7 


20.9 


102.9 


8.5 


161.5 





25.6 


25.6 


1.3 


16.5 


18.5 


1.1 


23.3 


25.1 


9.1 


17.5 


34.4 


9 


17.5 


35 


18 


37.2 


62.7 


14.36 


43.1 


65.64 


12.7 


47.4 


65.3 


23 


31.31 


60.77 


16.8 


30.5 


52.2 


14.6 


46 


68.6 


21.4 


21.9 


73.7 


24.1 


26 


57.1 


26.9 


38.7 


73.54 


22.2 


35.1 


72.39 


23.7 


29.8 


59.9 


19.31 


35.67 


66.3 


7.26 


24.88 


35.4 


14.36 


43.1 


65.64 


22.7 


36.5 


63.5 


.8 


11.3 


12.6 



1 Orange Sauce 2.6 

5 Oranges 9 

5 Oranges, Blood 9 

3 Parsnips, Browned 2 

3 Parsnips, Creamed 2.56 

2i Parsnips, Escalloped 3.27 

3 Parsnips, Mashed 1.7 

3i Patties, Peas 13 

2j Patties, Rice 14.9 

5 Peach Juice 

4 Peaches, Fresh 9 

Si Peaches, Cooked 9 

i Peanuts ^ 30.1 

6 Pear Juice 

4 Pears 7 

4 Pears, Cooked 7 

3 Peas, Green 7.8 

3 Peas, Puree 8.5 

4j Pie, Apple 7:5 

4 Pie, Blackberry 8.18 

3i Pie, Blueberry 5.2 

si Pie, Cocoanut Cream 6.46 

4 Pie, Custard 4.9 

4 Pie, Cherry 8.2 

4 Pie, Date Cream 10.4 

5i Pie, Date 7 

4 Pie, Lemon 7.94 

5 Pie, Mince 15.09 

4 Pie, New England Cream. 6.42 
3i Pie, Orange (1-6 Pie) ... 11.39 

5 Pie, Pumpkin 3.25 

5 Pie, Raspberry 8.18 

5i Pie, Squash 4.27 

4 Pineapple, Fresh 5 



DIET LIST 
DIET TABLE — Continued. 



m 

o o 



Calories Per Ounce 



1 


c3- 


H 





21.8 


21.8 


.9 


19.4 


20.8 




23.5 


24.7 




36.3 


37.4 


13.3 


91.8 


117.6 


17.61 


31.48 


55.4 


17.61 


31.48 


55.4 


25.77 


15.06 


45.39 


.4 


28.9 


32.7 


.3 


24.4 


27.6 


5.17 


29.4 


38 


8.1 


23.4 


35 


12.87 


18.74 


34.8 


10.7 


21 


35.3 


5.17 


29.4 


38 


13.4 


22 


38.2 


7.42 


26.6 


37.2 


8 


20.8 


31.8 


5.6 


49.1 


58.2 


10.96 


21.55 


35.5 


12.87 


18.74 


34.8 


17.92 


15.48 


37.34 


.3 


24.4 


27.6 


11.25 


59.7 


75 


.3 


26.4 


27.5 


21.8 


20 


46.6 


32 


19.12 


37.56 


23.5 


30.38 


58.83 


22.1 


19.63 


45.98 


23.3 


66.75 


97.2 


15.3 


34.7 


54.7 


.73 


27.17 


28.4 


9.22 


16.37 


30.38 


17.58 


26.44 


48.5 



5 Pineapple Juice 

3} Pineapple Sauce 5 

4 Plums 1.2 

2i Plums, Sauce 1.1 

i Popped Corn 12.5 

2i Potato Cakes 6.3 

2 Potato Croquettes 6.3 

2i Potato Salad 4.56 

3 Potatoes, Baked 3.4 

3 Potatoes, Boiled 2.9 

3j Potatoes, Browned 3.5 

3 Potatoes, Cream Baked ... 3.7 

3j Potatoes in Cream Sauce . . 3.2 

4i Potatoes, Escalloped 3.6 

3i Potatoes, Glazed 3.5 

2I Potatoes, Hashed 2.8 

21 Potatoes, Lyonnaise 3.17 

3J Potatoes, Mashed 3 

3i Potatoes Mashed Sweet ... 3.5 

3 Potatoes, Minced 3.02 

3i Potatoes, New, Creamed . . 3.2 

3i Potatoes, Sliced in Cream. 3.94 

3 Potatoes, Steamed 2.9 

3 Potatoes, Sweet, Browned . 4.11 

3i Prunes (Cooked) 8 

'2i Pudding, Baked Indian ... 4.8 

3} Pudding, Bread Custard . . 6.44 

3i Pudding, Chocolate 4.95 

3j Pudding, Cream Rice 4.25 

2i Pudding, Date 7.2 

2S Pudding, Fig 4.7 

3i Pudding, Sago 53 

2i Pudding, Snow 4.78 

2i Pudding, Apple Tapioca . . 4.5 



90 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 
DIET TABLE — Continued. 



Sg.S 



Calories Per Ounce 



CO 


u u 

6^ 


3 

o 
H 


.51 


19 


20 


.3 


6.7 


8.5 


8.8 


88.8 


100.6 


5.8 


57.6 


65.4 


2.6 


14.7 


19.3 




14.7 


15.9 





29.4 


29.4 





23.7 


23.7 


2.2 


27.5 


31.3 




22 


23.2 


.9 


96.6 


106 


.3 


28.5 


32.1 


.34 


39.72 


43.94 


.9 


96.6 


106 


.8 


92 


101.8 


.99 


25.98 


29.96 


9.91 


21.18 


34.37 


22.5 


83.5 


117.4 


2.8 


2.7 


6.1 


4.27 


26.16 


32.69 


1.9 


32.5 


35.9 


18.3 


26.41 


48 


.10 


3.6 


4.7 


16.56 


14.21 


35 


2.35 


2.8 


5.78 


19.7 


3 


25.1 


18.2 


17.2 


37.5 


5.8 


45.8 


54.1 


34.8 


58.6 


99.3 


198.07 


2.85 


201 


30.66 


1.46 


44.5 


2.53 


26.8 


31.3 


.6 


5 


6.7 


16.02 


12.5 


34.8 



3i Quince Sauce 48 

1 Radishes 1.5 

1 Raisins 3 

3 Raisins, Cooked , . 2 

4 Raspberries, Fresh Black.. 2 
3i Raspberries, Fresh Red ... 1.2 

5 Raspberry Juice (Black) ... 
5 Raspberry Juice (Red) ... 
3i Raspberry Sauce, Black ... 1.6 
3i Raspberry Sauce, Red 1.2 

1 Rice Biscuit 8.5 

4 Rice, Boiled 3.3 

4i Rice, Browned 3.88 

i Rice Flakes 8.5 

i Rice, Puif ed 9 

5 Rice with Raisins 2.99 

4i Rice, Steamed or Creamed. 3.28 

2 Rolls, Cream 11.4 

4 Rutabagas, Mashed 6 

li Salad, Apple and Celery . . 2.26 

2i Salad, Banana Cherry Sauce 1.5 

li Salad, Banana Mayonnaise 3.4 

ll Salad, Beet and Lemon ... .97 

2i Salad, Beet and Potato . . . 4.27 

2i Salad, Cabbage 63 

2 Salad, Cauliflower 2.5 

2 Salad, Chopped Cabbage . . 1.9 
2i Salad, Date and Apple ... 2.5 
li Salad, Date and Walnut . . 5.9 

i Salad Dressing, French ... 

2i Salad, Egg Mayonnaise . . . 13.37 

2i Salad, Fruit 1.98 

li Salad, Lettuce with Lemon 1.1 

3 Salad, Peas and Celery . . . 6.24 



DIET LIST 91 

DIET TABLE — Continued. 

Calories Per Ounce 



Q O «> 





6^ 


3 
o 
H 


25.77 


15.06 


45.39 


51.7 


2.3 


54.7 


10.6 


4.4 


16.9 


4.8 


9.2 


18.3 


19.4 


23.9 


47.57 


33.9 


37.6 


82.8 


50.12 


39.09 


99.29 


30.47 


53.66 


90.22 


38.6 


70.61 


116.6 


38.2 


37 


82 


28.2 


28.5 


61.9 


15.98 


25.34 


51.19 


4 


24.7 


38.1 


7 


8.9 


19 


18.33 


4.57 


26.14 


14.76 


7.16 


24 


21.34 


8.35 


32.8 


19 


4.7 


26.5 


18.5 


10 


32 


14.6 


13,2 


33.9 


28.85 


9.68 


43.9 


14.4 


21.69 


42.85 


18 


13.2 


37.1 


19.2 


9 


30.9 


17 


8.8 


28.7 


22: 


6.45 


32 


14.6 


14.5 


35.4 


20 


5.96 


28.76 


9.48 


21.38 


42.1 


.46 


11.79 


17.38 


1.26 


24.16 


32.01 


4 


24.7 


38.1 



2j Salad, Potato 4.56 

If Salad, String Bean 7 

4 Salad, Tomato with 

Mayonnaise 1.8 

2i Salad, Vegetable 4.3 

li Sandwich, Baked Bean . . . 4.27 

If Sandwich, Cottage Cheese. 11.2 

if Sandwich, Egg 10 

li Sandwich, Fig 6.08 

li Sandwich, Jelly 7.4 

li Sandwich, Lettuce 6.8 

2i Sandwich, Salad 5.07 

Spaghetti 9.86 

41 Soup, Bean 9.4 

4i Soup, Clear Tomato 3.1 

4f Soup, Cream of Asparagus 3.24 

4f Soup, Cream of Barley ... 2.1 
4i Soup, Cream of Browned 

Onion 3.11 

4| Soup, Cream of Celery 2.8 

4f Soup, Cream of Corn ..... 3.5 

4f Soup, Cream of Lentil 6.1 

4l Soup, Cream of Lettuce... 5.37 

4f Soup, Cream Lima Bean . . 6.76 

4l Soup, Cream of Pea 5.9 

4f Soup, Cream of Potato 2.7 

4f Soup, Cream of Rice 2.9 

4| Soup, Cream of Spinach... 3.55 

4f Soup, Cream of Split Pea . 6.3 

4| Soup, Cream of Tomato . . . 2.8 

4l Soup, Kidney Bean 11.25 

4f Soup, Lentil 5.06 

4f Soup, Lima Bean 6.58 

4f Soup, Navy Bean 9.4 



92 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 
DIET TABLE — Continued. 



Calories Per Ounce 



o 5 > 

O o "* 



43 Soup, Pea Green 4.8 

4| Soup, Split Pea 7.18 

4f Soup, Tomato Bisque 3.1 

4i Soup, Vegetable 96 

3 Spaghetti and Tomato 5 

3 Spinach 3.3 

3j Spinach, Creamed 3 

4 Spinach on Toast 5.3 

3 Spinach Souffle 6.4 

2i Squash, Baked 1.6 

3i Squash, Steamed or Canned 1 

4 Strawberries, Fresh 1.2 

5 Strawberry Juice 

3j Strawberry Sauce 9 

i Sugar (Granulated) 

3i Sweet Potatoes (Cooked).. 3.5 

5 Tangerines 9 

5 Toast, Apple 1.4 

5 Toast, Apricot 2.2 

5 Toast, Banana 3.2 

5 Toast, Blackberry 1.86 

5 Toast, Blueberry 1.95 

5 Toast, Cream .• 4.15 

5 Toast, Grape 1.14 

5 Toast, Peach 1.5 

5 Toast, Prune 1.86 

5 Toast, Red Raspberry 2.2 

5 Toast, Strawberry 1.95 

5 Toast, Tomato 2.26 

4j Toast, Tomato Cream 5.16 

3 Tomatoes Baked on Toast. 4.77 

3i Tomatoes, Breaded 1.3 

2j Tomatoes, Stewed or 

Canned 1.4 .5 4.7 6.6 





6^ 


1 


14.5 


7.8 


27.1 


1.85 


18.07 


27.1 


10.5 


2.4 


16 


5.71 


6.9 


13.5 


3.86 


17.16 


26.02 


1 


4.93 


9.3 


13.1 


5.2 


21.3 


28 


18.7 


52.1 


19.3 


6.7 


32.4 


2.2 


16 


19.8 


1.3 


12.3 


14.6 


1.6 


8.6 


11.4 





24.5 


24.5 


1 


22.7 


24.6 





116.6 


116.6 


5.6 


49.1 


58.2 


.5 


13.5 


14.9 


3.48 


27.2 


32.08 


2.7 


27.1 


32 


15.9 


22.4 


41.5 


5.7 


34.8 


42.36 


9.23 


23.9 


35.08 


29.9 


13.6 


47.65 


2.63 


32.8 


36.57 


2.45 


24.3 


28.3 


3 


32.38 


37.24 


2.7 


28.4 


33.4 


3.65 


29 


34.65 


3.2 


16.2 


21.66 


28.8 


21.4 


55.4 


9.69 


20.2 


34.66 


4.5 


7.9 


13.7 



DIET LIST 93 

DIET TABLE — Continued. 

Calories Per Ounce 






n U. <L> «H OJ Oj-d O 

o "^ Ph fe u H 

4 Tomatoes, Sliced 1 1.1 4.6 6.7 

3 Turnips, Creamed 2.18 4.6 10.9 17.7 

4 Turnips, Mashed 6 2.8 2.7 6.1 

li Watercress 1.4 .8 3.4 5.6 

8 Watermelon 5 .5 7.8 8.8 

5f Wheat, Cracked 3.3 1 22 26.3 

f Wheat Flakes, Toasted 11 3.9 88.9 103.8 

4 Wheat Grits (Cooked) ... 2.1 1 15.3 18.4 

5| Wheat, Hulled 3.3 1 22 26.3 

7 Whey 1.2 .8 5.8 7.8 

i Whipped Cream 2.9 49.3 10.14 62.3 

1 Whole-wheat Wafers or 

Crackers 11.4 26 84.5 122.7 

1 Zwieback 11.4 26.4 85.8 123.6 

FLESH FOODS* 

3i Beef Juice 5.42 1.71 7.13 

2i Beef, Roasted (Fat) 18.14 136.85 155.26 

2j Beef, Round (Boiled, Lean) 40.9 4.54 45.6 

6 Bouillon 2.3 .3 3 3 

3j Chicken (Broilers) 24.6 6.56 31.16 

3f Clams 7.5 1.08 8.58 

5 Cod Fish 19.3 1.02 20.32 

2f Goose 18.1 95.4 113.5 

3 Halibut (Steak) 21.78 13.9 35.68 

2 Lamb Chops (Boiled) .... 25.3 79.7 105 
3i Lamb (Leg, Roast) 22.2 33.3 55.5 

3 Liver (Veal) 21.78 13.9 35.68 

2 Lobsters 19 4.8 23.82 

2i Mutton (Leg, Boiled) 29.1 54.1 83.2 

3i Oysters 7.2 3.23 10.43 

* The Flesh Foods Table is given in order that the meat values 
may be compared with the more wholesome vegetable and grain 
values when balancing a meatless diet. 



94 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 
DIET TABLE — Continued, 



Calories Per Ounce 



' OS 53 



S ^ 

O^ 



^^ > -M 03 ^ nJ rt 

*-''T3'-< O -^ u u -^^ 

:3 V, cj • *H rt 03'^ o 

00" PU fo u H 

1 Pork (Bacon, Smoked 

Medium Fat) 11.3 177.3 188.6 

2i Pork (Ham, Boiled) 25.4 65.4 90.3 

3 Pork (Loin, Chops) 18.5 84.5 103 

2i Salmon (California) 20.4 46.6 66.6 

2i Shad 21.9 25.71 47.61 

If Trout (Brook) 22.2 55.5 77.7 

li Turkey 24.1 59.1 83.2 

2i Veal (Leg, Boiled) 30.4 11.2 41.6 



Number of Food Units or Calories per Ounce 
OF Various Uncooked Foodstuffs 

None of these are served in the uncooked state. The 
value is given only for the purpose of comparison of 
actual food values. 



Almond Meal 26.0 

Artichokes 3.0 

Asparagus 2.1 

Barley, Pearled 9.9 

Beans (dried) 26.3 

Beans, Butter (green) 11.0 

Beans, Lima (dried) 21.1 

Beans, Soja 38.4 

Beets 1.9 

Beans, String 2.7 



CO 




3 


H 


152.8 


21.4 


200.2 


.5 


19.5 


23.0 


.5 


3.9 


6.5 


2.9 


90.8 


103.6 


4.8 


69.5 


100.6 


1.6 


34.0 


46.6 


4.0 


76.9 


102.0 


48.3 


33.5 


120.2 


.3 


11.3 


13.5 


.8 


8.6 


12.1 



DIET LIST 95 



Buckwheat 7.5 

Cabbage 1.9 

Carrots 1.3 

Cauliflower 2.1 

Cocoa 25.2 

Corn, Green 3.6 

Cornmeal 10.7 

Cornstarch 

Cranberries 6 

Egg Plant 1.4 

Farina 13.0 

Flour, Corn 8.3 

Flour, Graham 15.5 

Flour, Rye 7.9 

Flour, Wheat (Entire Wheat) 16.1 

Flour, Wheat (Fine White) 9.2 

Flour, Wheat (Gluten) 16.6 

Flour, Wheat (Patent) 12.6 

Gooseberries 5 

Gluten Meal (20 per cent.) 18.4 

Hominy 9.7 

Kohl-rabbi 2.3 

Lemons 1.2 

Lemon Juice 

Lentils 30.0 

Macaroni 3.5 

Mushrooms 4.1 

Oatmeal 18.8 

Oats, Rolled 19.5 

Onions 1.9 

Parsnips 1.9 

Peanuts 22.8 

Peas (dried) 28.7 

Peas, Green 8.2 

Potato Meal 11.3 



^ 

& 


c3^ 


3 

o 
H 


3.2 


90.0 


100.7 


.8 


6.5 


9.2 


1.1 


10.9 


13.3 


1.3 


5.5 


8.9 


77.1 


44.0 


146.3 


2.9 


23.0 


29.5 


5.1 


87.9 


103.7 




105.0 


105.0 


1.6 


11.5 


13.7 


.8 


6.0 


8.2 


3.7 


89.0 


105.7 


3.5 


91.5 


103.3 


5.9 


83.3 


104.7 


2.4 


91.8 


102.1 


5.1 


83.8 


105.0 


3.7 


89.1 


102.0 


4.8 


83.0 


104.4 


2.9 


87.7 


103.2 




10.4 


10.9 


1.7 


83.6 


103.7 


1.6 


92.2 


103.5 


.3 


6.4 


9.0 


1.9 


10.1 


13.2 





11.4 


11.4 


2.7 


69.1 


101.8 


4.0 


18.4 


25.9 


1.1 


7.9 


13.1 


19.2 


78.8 


116.8 


19.5 


77.2 


116.2 


.8 


11.6 


14.3 


1.3 


15.8 


19.0 


77.6 


21.6 


122.0 


2.7 


72.3 


100.7 


1.3 


19.7 


29.2 


1.0 


97.0 109.3 



96 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 



Potatoes 2.6 

Prunes 2.5 

Pumpkin 1.2 

Radishes 1.5 

Rice 9.0 

Spinach 2.5 

Squash j^. 1.6 

Sweet Potatoes 2.1 

Turnips .^ 1.5 

Vegetable Oysters or Salsify 1.0 

Wheat, Cracked 13.0 

Wheat Grits 12.3 



2 


If 

6^ 


3 


.3 


21.5 


24.4 





85.8 


88 


.3 


6.1 


7.6 


.3 


6.8 


8.6 


.8 


92.0 


101.8 


.8 


3.7 


7.0 


1.3 


10.5 


13.4 


1.9 


32.0 


36.0 


.5 


9.5 


11.5 


5.3 


4.1 


10.4 


4.5 


88.1 


105.6 


5.3 


88.7 


106.3 



CHAPTER XI 

Hydrotherapy: The Water Cure 
for Headache 

Any one who is a headache sufferer must realize 
that the cure depends upon hygienic living and the 
intelligent use of physiologic remedies — the health 
forces present in pure air, sunshine and water — 
rather than upon the drug medicines so commonly 
resorted to. 

The methods of using water as a remedy will be 
explained later. The writer lays special emphasis 
upon the water treatment in headache — fomenta- 
tions, compresses" and baths. It is a quick and harm- 
less remedy for this distress, and though always at 
hand, it is seldom appreciated or used. Headache 
powders, effervescent mixtures, opiates — every sort 
of poison is taken — often to one's lasting misery — 
although clean water, hot or cold, is the best remedy 
in the world. 

When one thinks of hydrotherapy, or the use of 
water as a remedy for diseased conditions, he com- 
monly thinks of baths or some sort of external appH- 

97 



98 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

cation of water. The body very quickly responds to 
the application of water, and why should it not when 
one considers that the area of the skin in an adult is 
from twelve to sixteen square feet and that it con- 
tains blood-vessels, nerves and absorbent vessels? 

The results of water applications differ according 
to their temperature and duration, and whether the 
treatment is general or local. No ordinary home is 
equipped with the elaborate apparatus for giving 
water treatment as are hospitals and sanitaria 
where it is a feature ; but water may be efficiently used 
in any home at practically no extra expense. Of 
course, it takes more time and is some more work 
than to swallow a pill, or take a dose of some drug 
mixture. That the effect upon the body is more 
beneficial and lasting, however, there is no doubt — 
in the majority of cases — and that is the desired end 
of any curative means. 

The Properties of Water 

Before describing the different baths and applica- 
tions, let us remember that water exists in three 
states: liquid, solid and vapor, therefore water, ice, 
and steam or mist. Below 32°F. water fs in the 
form of ice, between 32° and 212°F. it is a liquid 
and at 212°F. it becomes vapor. At all temper- 
atures below 212°F. water slowly evaporates; that 
is, it is held in solution in the air. Water absorbs 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 99 

more heat by elevation of temperature than any other 
substance, and readily communicates heat to bodies 
with which it comes in contact. One of the most 
useful properties of water is its power to dissolve sub- 
stances : it is a nearly universal solvent. That is why 
it is such a cleansing agent and that is why it is such 
an aid in nutrition; it dissolves and circulates the 
nourishing elements required by the body, and washes 
from the tissues the waste products. 

The effects of water upon the human system 
when applied externally, are the results of its 
physical properties combined with the action of the 
vital forces. It is the heat and the cold in the 
water that does the good, and not the water 
itself. Water is only a vehicle for temperature, a 
conveyance for external stimuli. By making im- 
pressions on the outside of the body with heat and 
cold, the functions of the organs on the inside of the 
body may be changed — increased or decreased as the 
needs of the body require. Age, sex and physical 
condition have to be taken into account when using 
water, either internally or externally. It is astonish- 
ing how often w^e come upon the three-fold aspect in 
considering any subject. Just as water appears in 
three forms, so also it affects the body through three 
different means: by modifying the general or local 
temperature of the body, by its solvent properties and 
as a diluent. 



100 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

The Internal Use of Water 

Water is received into the system as diluent by 
means of absorption through the mucous membrane 
or the skin and it usually enters by the mouth, stomach 
and intestinal canal. When received into the blood, 
it increases blood volume, makes it more fluid, and so 
circulation is quickened by this blood dilution. It is 
of importance that the blood should be supplied with 
a sufficient quantity of fluid, especially during the hot 
season when the watery portion of the blood is quite 
rapidly lost through perspiration. 

People who are exposed to artificial heat or who 
exert any effort that produces perspiration, require 
much water. The importance of pure drinking 
water cannot be over-emphasized because of its inti- 
mate relations with the blood circulation. Water 
does not remain long in the body ; it is a transient ele- 
ment, and for that reason has to be more constantly 
renewed than any other element necessary to health 
and life except air. The water is eliminated by the 
skin, lungs, kidneys and intestines. 

As a solvent, water dissolves and excretes the vari- 
ous poison products of the tissues. The removal, in 
this way, of all the body waste quickens the normal 
functions and frees the vital forces from what would 
otherwise hinder their activities. 



hydrotherapy: the water cure lOl 

Water Is Essential to Life 

It is water that hastens all the life processes and 
keeps up the constant change in tissues necessary to 
our health and growth. 

Of course, both the diluent and solvent action of 
water is obtained by using it as a drink, although 
water forms a large proportion of much of the food 
materials. It is easy to understand why people who 
drink but little water unless it contains tea, coffee 
or alcohol suffer more or less with various ailments. 
The body is constantly asking for pure water and it 
gets these poisons instead. Is it not plain, since head- 
ache is so constant a symptom of disease and that an 
abundance of pure water removes from the body poi- 
son material, that the drinking of pure water is really 
one very important headache preventive and remedy ? 
The fact is, we have dosed our disorders so much and 
so long, that it is very hard to believe so simple and 
easily obtained a remedy will help us. Let me as- 
sure you that w^ater internally and externally works 
wonderful cures. It is Nature's most powerful aid in 
health restoration. Most people drink too little 
water. Two quarts daily should be taken in most 
cases, a glassful at a time, between meals; in hot 
weather one may drink more than two quarts. Do 
not drink water too near a meal — one hour before, 
and two hours after, is a good rule. 



102 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

The External Use of Water 

Now we come to the external use of water — the 
application of heat and cold with water. In giving 
baths, it is necessary to use a bath thermometer in or- 
der to know the exact temperature of a bath ; it is a 
very inexpensive article and saves time and guessing. 
If one has not a thermometer, the bath may be tested 
with the hand. A more reliable way is to plunge the 
forearm in the water ; if the skin quickly reddens, the 
w^ater is hot, and when it feels comfortable, the water 
is warm ; when it chills the arm or causes goose-flesh, 
it is cold. What is hot to one, may not feel quite the 
same to another and then, too, the sensation of heat 
and cold varies in the individual at different times. 
However, the '* arm test " is quite dependable. Ac- 
cording to their temperature, baths are divided into 
six classes: 



1. Cold 


33° to 60°F 


2. Cool 


60° to 70°F 


3. Temperate 


70° to 85°F 


4. Tepid 


85° to 92°F 


5. Warm 


92° to 98°F 


6. Hot 


98° to 112°F 



For convenience, we will speak of them as cold ap- 
plications under 85 °F., warm between 85^ and 
98^F., and hot above 98^F. 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 103 

Bathing and Treatment Rules 

There are certain rules to observe in bathing ; it is 
possible to do harm as well as to relieve, and much dis- 
credit has fallen upon the use of water as a remedy 
because of a disregard of these rules : 

1. Avoid a full hot or cold bath within two or 
three hours after a meal. Such local baths as fomen- 
tations, compresses, foot baths, and even sitz baths, 
may be taken an hour or two after a meal; indeed, 
compresses and fomentations may be applied immedi- 
ately after a light meal without injury and often with 
benefit. 

2. Employ the thermometer to determine the 
temperature of every bath when possible to do so ; if 
not, employ the arm test. 

3. The temperature of the room during a bath 
should be 75° to 85 °F. Invalids require a warmer 
room than persons in health. Thorough ventila- 
tion is an important matter ; but drafts must be care- 
fully prevented, by screens placed before openings 
into the room when necessary. 

4. Never apply either very cold or excessively hot 
treatment to aged or feeble patients. Cold is espe- 
cially dangerous. Hot baths are rarely useful in 
health. The warm bath answers all the require- 
ments of cleanliness. 

5. Never take a cold bath when exhausted or chilly. 



104 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

No harm will result from a cool bath if the body is 
simply warm, even though it may be in a state of 
perspiration. Contrary to the common opinion, a 
considerable degree of heat is the best possible prepa- 
ration for a cold bath. The Finlanders rush out of 
their hot ovens — sweat houses — and roll in the 
snow, without injury. Athletes take cool showers 
after exercise. 

6. Cold baths should not be administered during 
the period of menstruation in females — unless there 
is fever with an extremely high temperature. At 
such times, only the regular cleansing bath is advis- 
able, unless special water treatment is advised by a 
physician. 

7. Nurses or bath helpers should carefully avoid 
giving " shocks" to nervous people, to those inclined 
to apoplexy, or to those affected with heart or kidney 
disease. Shocks are unpleasant and unnecessary for 
any one. In these cases cold may be carefully ap- 
plied with cold mitten friction or wet towel rub. 
Get the patient used to these cold rubs gradually, 
beginning with a tepid wet mitten or towel. 

8. Never apply to the head such treatment as will 
cause shock — as the sudden cold douche, shower, or 
spray bath. 

9. In applying a general bath to sick persons, it 
should always be made of a temperature agreeable to 
the feelings. 



hydrotherapy: the water cure lOS 

10. The temperature of a warm or hot bath should 
always be decreased just before its termination, as a 
precaution against taking cold. 

11. Very cold and very hot baths are seldom re- 
quired. No good results from them which cannot be 
attained by milder means, and much harm may be 

, done. 

12. Those not strong and vigorous should avoid 
drinking freely of cold water just previous to a bath. 

13. The head should always be wet before any 
bath ; and the feet should be warmed — if not al- 
ready warm — by a hot foot bath, if necessary. 

14. A light hand bath every morning will be none 
too frequent to preserve scrupulous bodily cleanliness. 
More than a week should never be allowed to elapse 
without a warm water and soap bath. Two a week is 
better. 

15. One very important element in the success of 
a bath is the dexterity of the helper. The patient 
should be inspired with confidence both in the bath 
and in the skill of the attendant. The mind has 
much to do with the effect of a bath just as it has with 
all our bodily processes. 

16. Patients should receive due attention during 
a bath, so that they may not feel that they are for- 
gotten. Nervous patients often become very appre- 
hensive on this account, if left alone. It is also im- 
portant, in most cases, that a reasonable degree of 



106 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

quietude should be maintained. Quiet tends to re- 
cuperation, always. 

17. When any unusual or unexpected symptoms 
appear during a bath, the patient should be removed 
at once. In case symptoms of faintness appear (as is 
sometimes the case in feeble patients) during a hot 
bath, apply cold water to the head and face, give cool 
water to drink, lower the temperature of the bath by 
adding cool water, and place the patient as nearly as 
possible in a horizontal position. 

18. In general baths, the patient (unless feeble) 
will derive benefit by assisting himself as much as pos- 
sible. 

19. The best time for treatment — especially cool 
treatment — is about three hours after breakfast. 

20. In health, a cool or cold bath should be very 
brief, lasting not more than a few seconds to one or 
two minutes. A tepid bath should not last more than 
ten or fifteen minutes. A warm or neutral bath may 
be continued fifteen to thirty minutes, or as long as 
may be necessary to secure the desired result. Of 
course, certain baths may be advantageously pro- 
longed under a physician's advice, in cases of dis- 
ease. 

21. It is of extreme importance that the patient 
should be carefully dried after any bath. A large 
sheet is much better for this purpose than a towel. 
An old linen or cotton sheet is preferable to a new 



hydrotherapy: the water cure io7 

one, being softer. Many people prefer a sheet of 
Turkish toweling. 

22. A patient should never be left chilly after a 
bath. Rub until warm. It is equally important 
that the body should not be left in a state of perspira- 
tion, for it will soon become chilly. 

23. Patients who are able to do so, should exercise 
a little both before and immediately after a cool bath, 
to insure thorough reaction. 

24. For feeble persons, an hour's rest in bed after 
a bath will add to its beneficial effects. 

25. If a bath is followed by headache and fever, 
there may have been something wrong, either in 
the kind of bath administered, or in the manner of 
giving it. Headache indicates the use of either too 
great heat or cold, producing too violent a reaction. 
Proper baths given for headache leave the patient 
relieved. 

26. Always employ for bathing purposes the purest 
water attainable. Soft water is greatly preferable to 
hard on many accounts. 

How to Apply Water 

It seems to be a common idea that it makes little 
diiference how water is applied, provided the pa- 
tient is only wet. Warm, hot, tepid, temperate, 
neutral, cool, and cold baths are used indiscrimi- 
nately. So, also, the different modes of administer- 



108 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

ing baths of the same temperature are disregarded 
in many cases. As we have previously stated, it is 
the heat or cold carried by the water that does the 
good. The neutral bath — neither hot nor cold — 
acts as a sedative. It is non-stimulating. 

In general, each particular form of bath is espe- 
cially adapted to the treatment of special condi- 
tions. 

Too much bathing is likely to be the error into 
which one falls, rather than the opposite extreme. 
Nature cannot be forced to do more than she is 
capable of doing ; and as Nature must do the healing, 
if a cure is accomplished, remedies should be helpful 
rather than crowding or forcing. 

The vitality of patients may be expended uselessly 
by treatment ; for baths excite vital reactions, a fact 
which many overlook. The dangers of over-treat- 
ment are not so great as some imagine, however, who 
take the opposite extreme, and advocate rest as the 
great cure-all. We have seen patients who seemed 
to be quite monomaniacs on the subject of "rest 
cure," who needed a good thorough stirring up with 
useful exercise more than any other kind of treat- 
ment. 

Briefly, remedial water applications are derivative, 
sedative, eliminative or tonic in effect. Tonic treat- 
ments are best taken in the morning and may be very 
hot or cold, of very short dnration, as described later. 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 109 

Alternating heat and cold are most invigorating. 
Sedative or quieting treatments are best given at 
night — the ** neutral " bath and the warm bath. 

Eliminative treatments are the sweating measures 
that hasten the elimination of poisons. Derivative 
treatments reduce congestion and are best at night, 
but may be taken at any time. For instance, in con- 
gestive headaches, the hot foot bath, or the hot hip 
and leg pack, with a cold compress on the head, are 
derivative treatments. 

In describing methods of applying water as a 
remedy, the writer has selected such baths as are 
especially useful in disorders when headache is a 
prominent symptom. 

The technic of even the simple sponge bath is given, 
because there is a right way, or a best way, to do 
everything and there are thousands of people who not 
only do not know how properly to take a bath but 
could not possibly administer one. Many a head- 
ache sufferer, too sick to wait on himself, would be 
relieved if some one in the family knew just how to 
give the water treatment. It is not hydrotherapy to 
splash about in, or with, water. But when water is 
used intelligently, it is a great remedy for pain — for 
headache. 

The water applications which usually give quickest 
relief in headache have been indicated under the vari- 
ous types of this distress. Where dry heat is pre- 



no HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

ferred by the patient, or is more convenient, the hot 
water bottle, hot stones, or bricks, flat-irons and 
heated plates are all satisfactory. 

Foot Baths 

Any vessel sufficiently large to receive the feet, 
and enough water to cover them to the ankles, is suit- 
able for this bath. 

The alternative hot and cold foot bath is a very 
valuable remedy for cold feet, and is an excellent 
remedy for chilblains. It is given thus: Place the 
feet in hot water — 100°F. and heat rapidly to 
115°F. — for two or three minutes. Then with- 
draw them and plunge them quickly into a bath of 
cold water, 60^F. or less. After one-half minute, 
restore them to the hot bath. Thus alternate three 
I or four times, and conclude by dipping the feet 

quickly into cold water and wiping dry. This bath 
produces most powerful reaction. 

The hot foot bath, or alternating hot and cold, is 
applicable in the treatment of headache, neuralgia, 
toothache, catarrh, congestion of abdominal and pel- 
vic organs, colds and cold feet. For headache, the 
foot bath should be 115°F. for ten or fifteen minutes. 
It is very useful as preparatory for other baths, and 
as an accompaniment of other local applications. 

The hot, and alternating hot and cold, foot baths 
are exceedingly valuable remedies in the treatment of 



hydrotherapy: the water cure in 

congestive headaches occurring from any cause ; such 
as headaches with colds in the head, the headaches of 
fevers, of worry, monotony, or excessive mental 
activity, and the headaches associated with insomnia. 
They are also valuable in so-called " sick headache " 
or migraine. 

Sponge Bath 

The sponge or hand bath is perhaps the simplest 
and most useful mode of applying water to the sur- 
face of the body ; for it requires the use of no appli- 
ances which every one does not possess, and it can be 
employed by any one without elaborate preparation, 
and under almost any circumstances. A great quan- 
tity of water is not required ; a few quarts is a plenty, 
and a pint will answer admirably in an emergency. 
A soft sponge, or a linen or cotton cloth, and one or 
two soft towels, or a sheet, are the other requisites. 
The hand may be used for bathing in the absence of a 
cloth or a sponge. 

The temperature of the bath should not be above 
95°F. and 90°F. is generally better. jMost people 
can habitually employ a temperature of 75 °F. with- 
out injury. The use of a much lower temperature 
is not commonly advisable. 

Wash the face, then the neck, chest, shoulders, 
arms, trunk, back, and then the legs. Rub vigor- 
ously until the skin is red, to prevent chilling; for 



112 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

even when the temperature of the room is nearly equal 
to that of the body, the rapid evaporation of water 
from the surface will lower the external temperature 
very rapidly unless a vigorous circulation is main- 
tained. 

After thoroughly bathing the upper portion of the 
body, turn the attention to the lower portion, con- 
tinuing the rubbing of the upper parts at brief in- 
tervals to prevent chilliness. As soon as the bathing 
is concluded, envelop the body in a sheet and rub dry, 
or dry the skin with a towel. When the surface is 
nearly or quite dried, rub the whole vigorously with 
the bare hand. 

The bath should not be prolonged more than ten or 
fifteen minutes. Five minutes is sufficient to secure 
all the benefits of the bath. 

Persons who chill easily will find it better to bathe 
only a portion of the body before drying it. Some 
will even find it necessary to retain a portion of the 
clothing upon the lower part of the body while bath- 
ing and drying the upper part. 

Feeble patients may receive this bath with very 
little disturbance, even in bed. Only a small por- 
tion of the body should be uncovered at a time, being 
bathed, dried, rubbed, and then covered while an- 
other part is treated in a similar manner. 

The sponge bath may be administered an5rwhere 
without danger of soiling the finest carpet, by using 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 113 

care to make the sponge or cloth nearly dry before 
applying it to the body. A rug may be spread upon 
the floor as an extra precaution. When used for 
cleanliness — as it should be daily — a little fine soap 
should be added two or three times a week, to remove 
the oily secretion from the skin. 

This bath is applicable whenever there is an ab- 
normal degree of bodily heat, and in such cases may be 
applied every half-hour without injury, and even 
oftener. It is useful in cases of nervousness and 
sleeplessness. In fact, whenever water is required in 
any form, this bath may be used with advantage, the 
temperature being suited to the case. Hot spong- 
ing of the face, neck, and head are useful in relieving 
the headache of catarrh and influenza. 

The tepid, or cool, sponge bath is very useful in 
promoting general comfort of the body, and as a tonic 
to improve the general health and tone of the body. 
In accomplishing this, the sponge bath may be a valu- 
able aid in relieving or curing chronic headaches. 

Sweating Pack 

Wrap the patient in woolen blankets, a wet blanket 
between two dry blankets. Place at his hands, sides, 
thighs, and feet, hot bricks, jugs, or rubber bags 
filled with hot water, wrapped with moist flannels. 
Bottles filled with hot water and covered with wet 
stockings are very convenient. Give frequent and 



114 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

copious draughts of hot water; the water may be 
flavored with fruit juice or peppermint essence. 
Keep the head cool by cold compresses. In a few 
minutes, most copious perspiration will be produced. 
This pack is useful in all cases in which powerful 
action of the skin is desirable, as in chronic rheuma- 
tism, obesity, jaundice, etc. It is one of the most 
excellent means of curing a cold. 

This remedy is very useful in treating the headache 
of fevers — such as malaria, or the beginning of ty- 
phoid fever, or other fevers when the body has not 
been weakened by prolonged fever. It is also useful 
in toxic headaches such as occur in rheumatism, gout 
and chronic intestinal autointoxication. The usual 
enema should be given before applying the pack. 

Full Bath 

For this bath, a tub is required the length of the 
body, about eighteen inches deep, two feet wide at 
the top, and, preferably, six inches narrower at the 
bottom. Place in the tub sufficient water so that the 
patient will be entirely covered (with the exception 
of the head ) when he lies upon his back. During the 
bath, the body should be vigorously rubbed by the 
bather or an attendant, or both, particular pains being 
taken to knead and manipulate the abdomen, in a 
gentle but thorough manner. The temperature of 
the bath, when taken for cleanliness, or for its sooth- 



hydrotherapy: the water cure ii5 

ing effects, should be not higher than 95° to 98°F. 
and it should be cooled down to about 85° or 90°F. 
before the conclusion of the bath, by the addition of 
cool water. 

Very cold baths are used by some, especially in 
Germany, in the treatment of fevers, so low a 
temperature as 60°F. being often employed. The 
most approved mode, however, is what is called the 
graduated bath, in which the temperature is gradually 
lowered until the desired effect has been produced. 

When used to excite action of the skin, a hot bath 
should be employed. Begin the bath at 98° or 
100°F., and gradually raise it to 108° or 110°F., 
continuing about ten minutes. Then remove the pa- 
tient, wrap him in blankets, and let him remain sweat- 
ing one-half to one hour. 

Every family ought to possess conveniences for the 
full bath. Indeed, it is now found in every well- 
regulated modern house in our large cities. It is not 
so expensive but that any one can possess it. Por- 
table baths of rubber can be obtained, which are 
worth many times their cost. A stationary bath may 
be made of wood, of the dimensions given, and lined 
with lead or zinc. There should be an opening in 
the lower end for withdrawing the water. 

The full bath is one of the most refreshing of all 
baths, being also one of the most pleasant. Em- 
ployed at a low temperature, it is a powerful means 



116 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

of reducing excessive heat in fevers. The hot full 
bath very greatly relieves the pains of acute rheuma- 
tism, colic, gall-stones, and sciatica, and is almost a 
specific for colds, if taken soon after their contrac- 
tion, just before retiring. The full bath is useful for 
the same types of headache for which the sweating 
pack is used. 

Very hot and very cold temperatures are quite 
hazardous with this bath, since it involves so large a 
portion of the body. Such extremes are rarely useful 
in any case, and should not be used except under the 
eye of a physician. 

The hot full bath is also useful in relieving con- 
gestive headaches, sick headaches and headaches due 
to exposure to cold or dampness when the body has 
been in any way chilled. As this bath increases the 
activity of the skin, it is also useful in toxic head- 
aches. 

The warm bath — of ten to twenty minutes' dura- 
tion — with cold compresses applied to the head, is 
useful in relieving headaches of insomnia, general 
nervousness, congestive headaches from any cause, and 
sick headaches. 

The neutral bath, 96° F., with cold compresses to 
the head, taken from fifteen minutes to one hour, is 
very useful in insomnia, general restlessness and the 
headaches associated with insomnia. 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 117 

Half Bath 

The half bath, either warm or hot, is much the 
same as the full bath. The bather sits upright with 
his limbs extended. The water should be at least a 
foot deep. During the bath, the body should be well 
rubbed, and water should be poured over the upper 
portion of the body. Its general effects are nearly 
the same as those of the full bath, and it may be used 
for the same general purposes. A little more vigor- 
ous rubbing is required to prevent chilling, as so 
large a portion of the body is exposed. It affords a 
better opportunity for exciting action in the bowels 
and abdominal organs by shaking, percussing, and 
kneading the abdomen. The hot half bath is espe- 
cially useful in congestive headaches connected with 
painful and scanty menstruation, or headaches due to 
ovarian irritation. In such cases it should be used 
cautiously at first. Temperature, 100° to 110°F. 

Affusion 

This consists simply in pouring water over the 
body of the patient, who may be sitting or standing in 
a bath-tub. It is a very efficient bath for reducing 
unnatural heat. It is a sovereign remedy for sun- 
stroke, hysteria, and sometimes for delirium when ap- 
plied at the proper temperature. For headaches, it 



118 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

is useful as a tonic remedy, and in improving the gen- 
eral health. Starting warm, 95 °F., and decreasing 
to 85 °F., then to 75 °F., the affusion is tonic. In 
case of delicate patients the water should not be be- 
low 85°F. 

Shower Bath 

This bath is simply an imitation of rain. Water 
is allowed to fall upon the body after being divided 
into a number of streams by passing through a vessel 
with a perforated bottom. Its effects depend upon 
the size of the streams and the height from which they 
fall, together with the temperature of the bath and its 
duration. Although formerly much employed in 
water-cure establishments, this bath is now less used, 
especially the cold shower, because its place is sup- 
plied by other more convenient ones which produce 
the same results, as the spray and douche. The best 
manner of administering it is to commence the appli- 
cation with tepid water, and gradually cool it. The 
temperature may range from 95° to 70°F. The 
water should not usually be allowed to fall upon the 
head, but should be received first upon the hands and 
arms, then upon the feet and limbs, and afterward 
upon the back and shoulders, the body being well 
rubbed during the application. 

Every family possesses in the ordinary colander a 
means of administering an efficient shower bath, by 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 119 

holding it above the patient and pouring in water of 
proper temperature from a pitcher. 

None but the most vigorous can enjoy the bath at a 
lower temperature than 70° F. and no advantage is 
gained by its employment at a lower temperature than 
that, while considerable harm may be done in many 
cases. The shower bath, like the affusion, is a tonic 
to improve the general health and so cure the head- 
aches associated with debilitated conditions. Begin 
the bath with a temperature of 95° and gradually 
reduce it to 80° or even 70°F. if a patient is not 
weak. 

The Vapor Bath 

As a remedial agent, water in the form of warm 
or hot vapor is scarcely less useful than in its ordi- 
nary form. The vapor bath can be readily and suc- 
cessfully administered with such conveniences as 
every family possesses. Place the patient in a cane- 
seat chair, having first taken the precaution to spread 
over the seat a dry towel. Surround the patient and 
the chair first with a woolen blanket, and then with 
two or three thick comfortables, drawing the blankets 
close around the neck, and allowing them to trail 
upon the floor so as to exclude the air as perfectly as 
possible. Now place under the chair a large pan or 
pail containing two or three quarts of boiling water. 
Let the blankets fall quickly, so as to retain the rising 



120 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

vapor. After a minute or two, raise the blankets a 
little at one side and exchange the pail for another 
with hot water, dropping the blankets again as soon 
as possible to avoid the admission of cold air. So 
continue until the patient perspires freely. The 
amount of perspiration must be judged by the face 
and forehead, as much of the moisture on the skin 
beneath the blankets is condensed steam. 

Should the bath become at any time too hot, a little 
air may be admitted by raising the bottom of the 
blankets a little, being careful to avoid chilling the pa- 
tient in so doing. The bath should not be continued 
more than twenty minutes, and ten to fifteen minutes 
will usually accomplish all that is desired by the 
bath. If too long continued, it induces faintness. A 
too high temperature will be indicated by a strongly 
increased pulse, throbbing of the temples, flushed face, 
and headache. The head should be kept cool by a 
compress wet in cool water and often changed. The 
temperature of the bath should be from 100*^ to 
115°F. Unpleasant effects are sometimes produced 
at 120°F. 

After this bath apply the tepid spray, or full bath. 
The patient should not be allowed to become 
chilly by exposure to cool air before the application 
of the spray, or other bath, which should be followed 
by vigorous rubbing. 

For " breaking up a cold," *' breaking chills," re- 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 121 

lieving rheumatism, or soreness of the muscles from 
overexertion, for relaxing stiffened joints, and in 
eliminating poisons, this is a valuable agent. It may 
also be used to advantage in chronic diseases in v^hich 
there is inactivity of the skin, liver or kidneys, as it is 
a pov^erf ul diaphoretic ; but great care must be exer- 
cised to avoid excessive use, as too frequent repetitions 
of the bath produce debility. This bath is useful in 
sick headache, or congestive headache, but it must al- 
ways be of short duration or the headache may be in- 
creased. Apply cold to the head. 

Sitz Bath 

This is a milder application than the hot-air bath, 
unless employed at a high temperature, lOS^F. or 
more, when it becomes more severe. The sitz bath 
is also known as the hip bath. 

For this bath, a common tub may be used, by 
placing a support under one edge to elevate it two or 
three inches ; but it is better to use a tub made for the 
purpose, which should have the back raised eight or 
ten inches higher than the front to support the back, 
the sides sloping gradually so as to support the arms 
of the bather. The bottom should be elevated two 
or three inches. The depth in front should be about 
the same as that of a common wash-tub. 

Enough water is required to cover the hips and ex- 
tend a little way up the abdomen ; four to six gallons 



122 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

will suffice. The temperature suited to the needs of 
the patient may be employed. The duration of the 
bath will also vary according to circumstances. A 
short cool bath is tonic in its effect, like all short cool 
applications; a more prolonged one is a powerful 
sedative. The hot sitz is very exciting in its effect, 
if long continued. The warm bath is relaxing. The 
hips and trunk should be well rubbed during the bath 
by the patient or an attendant. The bather should 
be covered with a sheet or blanket during the bath. 
If sweating is desirable, use several blankets. 

The sitz bath should seldom be taken either very 
hot or extremely cold. A very good plan for ad- 
ministering it, and one which will be applicable to 
most cases, is this: Begin the bath at 92^ or 
93°F. If the thermometer is not at hand, pour 
into the bath-tub three gallons of fresh, cool 
water, and then add one gallon of boiling water. 
This will give the desired temperature. After the 
patient has been in the bath ten minutes, cool it down 
to 85° F., which may be done by adding a gallon of 
cool water. Continue the bath five minutes longer, 
then administer a pail douche or spray, at about 
85 °F., and wipe dry. 

The sitz bath is useful for chronic congestions of 
the abdominal and pelvic viscera and in treating 
many uterine and other diseases peculiar to women, 
it is an indispensable remedy. It is very valuable in 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 123 

various nervous affections, especially those which in- 
volve the brain, as cerebral congestion and hyperemia 
with the associated headaches. 

There is no better remedy for a cold than a very 
warm sitz bath taken while fasting, and just before 
retiring. It should be continued until gentle per- 
spiration is induced. 

The sitz may be converted into a general bath by 
rubbing the whole body with the wet hand while in 
the bath, and may thus be made to answer the pur- 
poses of the half bath. 

Leg Bath 

For this bath, a vessel deep enough to receive the 
limbs to the middle of the thighs is required. The 
bath may be taken at any desired temperature. It is 
a powerfully derivative bath, and is found very use- 
ful to prevent wakefulness in nervous persons, and to 
relieve palpitation of the heart, headache, and cere- 
bral congestion. It is of great service in the treat- 
ment of epileptic patients. It is especially applicable 
for swollen knees and ankles. It gives much relief 
in gout. It is very useful in all forms of headache 
except anemic headache. The temperature should 
be 95° increased to 110°F. for ten minutes; cool off 
at 70° F. for two minutes. 

Enemas 
Fecal accumulations in the lower bowel are more 



124 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

quickly and easily removed by an enema of warm 
water than by any purgative, laxative, or cathartic 
ever discovered or invented; and the use of this 
remedy is never accompanied by the unpleasant and 
painful griping and tenesmus which often accompany 
the use of cathartics. The administration is a trifle 
more troublesome, but the results are enough su- 
perior to more than repay the inconvenience. The 
syphon syringe is far preferable to any other for ad- 
ministering injections. Water about blood-warm 
should be used when the purpose is to relieve consti- 
pation, and a considerable quantity — one to three 
pints, or more — may be used. The water should 
be retained for a few minutes, while the bowels are 
kneaded and shaken. If there is difficulty in retain- 
ing the water, a folded napkin should be pressed 
against the anus. 

The enema is a most valuable substitute for purga- 
tives in general. Cases are very rare in which a 
cathartic drug will be found necessary if the enema 
is properly used. But the warm enema may become 
a source of mischief if its use is continued for some 
time. It is preferable to use water at a tempera- 
ture of 80°F. or less, gradually diminishing the 
temperature. Cool or cold water acts as a tonic 
to the bowels and leaves no ill effects. The daily 
and frequent use of the enema has its objections and 
should not be used for any great length of time 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 125 

except by the advice of a physician. In all conges- 
tive and toxic headaches, a warm enema should be 
taken at the beginning of the treatment, and then 
whatever bath is decided upon follows the enema. 

Compresses 

The compress is a wet cloth or bandage applied to 
a part. When the part is to be cooled, a com- 
press composed of several folds should be wet in 
cool, cold, or iced water, as required, and placed upon 
the part after being wrung so it will not drip. It 
should be changed as often as every five minutes. 
This is often neglected, to the injury of the patient. 
A very cold compress may be prepared by placing 
snow or pounded ice between the folds of the com- 
press. This will not need renewal so frequently ; but 
its effects may be carefully watched, as injury may be 
done by neglect. In applying cold to such delicate 
parts as the eye, a very thin compress is better. It 
should be renewed once in five minutes, at least. 

When moist warmth is required, a thick compress 
is applied, being wrung out of tepid water, and cov- 
ered with a dry cloth to exclude the air. Soft, dry 
flannel is an excellent covering. Rubber or oiled silk 
may be employed when the compress is not to be re- 
tained more than a few hours ; but if it is to be worn 
continuously, they will be injurious, as they are im- 
pervious to air and thus interfere with the function 



126 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

of the skin. The effects of a compress thus applied 
are identical with those of the poultice, and the appli- 
cation is a much more cleanly one. 

Compresses are applicable in all cases in which 
poultices are commonly used. They may replace the 
old-fashioned plasters with profit and comfort to the 
wearer. 

Wet head cap is a compress made to fit the head. 
It should consist of several thicknesses of cotton or 
linen cloth, so as to retain moisture for some time. 
It is a good temporary application in diseases of the 
scalp, and for headache ; but it should never be worn 
continuously for the purpose of relieving congestion, 
as it will have an effect just the opposite of that de- 
sired. 

Fomentations 

The fomentation is a local application. It con- 
sists in the application of a cloth wet in hot water. 
It may be considered as a hot compress. Fold a soft 
flannel cloth twice, so that it will be of three or four 
thicknesses. Lay it in a basin, pour boiling water 
upon it, and wring it dry by folding it in a dry towel. 
Or, if only one end of the cloth is wet, it may be 
wrung by folding the dry portion outside of the wet ; 
in wringing, the whole will become equally wet. 
Apply it to the patient as hot as it can be borne. The 
second application can usually be made much hotter 
than the first. Frequently dipping the hands in cold 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 127 

water will enable the attendant to wring the cloth 
much hotter than he would otherwise be able to do. 

A better way is to fold the flannel as it is to be 
applied, and then dip in very hot water, lifting it out 
by the corner and placing it in the middle of a towel. 
Roll up quickly lengthwise of the towel, and wring 
nearly as dry as possible by twisting the ends of the 
towel. In this way, the fomentation can be wrung 
out much hotter than with the hands. Of course, it 
will be too hot to apply to the bare flesh ; but do not 
waste heat by letting it cool. Protect the skin by 
one or more thicknesses of flannel and apply at once, 
covering with another dry flannel. The fomenta- 
tion will gradually warm through, and will retain its 
heat two or three times as long as when applied in the 
ordinary way. 

A still more convenient way is to heat the cloths in 
a steamer ; by this means, they are made as hot as boil- 
ing water, and yet they are more easily handled, not 
being saturated with water. When no hot water is 
at hand, a fomentation may, in an emergency, be 
quickly prepared by wetting the flannel in cool water, 
wringing it as dry as desired, folding it between leaves 
of a newspaper, and laying it upon the top of the 
stove, or holding it smoothly against the side. The 
paper prevents the cloth from becoming soiled, the 
water protects the paper from burning, and the steam 
generated quickly, heats the cloth to boiling heat. 



128 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

For a long fomentation, the heat may be made con- 
tinuous by applying a bag of hot meal, salt, or sand, 
a hot brick or bottle, or, best of all, a rubber bag 
filled with water may be used — covered with a moist 
flannel. 

The hot cloths should be re-applied once in five 
minutes. Two cloths should be employed, so that 
the second one may be applied the moment the first 
is removed. To retain the heat, a dry flannel, rub- 
ber, or oil-cloth should be placed over the fomenta- 
tion. The application may be continued from ten 
minutes to half an hour, or longer in special cases. 
This appliance is very powerful, and should not be 
employed to excess. 

Alternate hot and cold fomentations are frequently 
more efficient than the continuous fomentation. 
Hot applications should be generally followed by a 
cool or tepid compress for four or five minutes, or the 
part should be rubbed with the hand dipped in cool 
water until the redness produced by the fomentation 
in part disappears. In neuralgia, gout, and chronic 
rheumatism, in which the cooling has a tendency to 
cause a return of the pain, the parts should be cov- 
ered by dry, warm flannels and so protected from the 
air. By this means, the good effect of the applica- 
tion may be prolonged. 

When applied to the head for some time without 
intermission, it will often occasion faintness; hence, a 



hydrotherapy: the water cure 129 

cooler application should be made after the use of the 
hot cloths for fifteen or twenty minutes. 

If the applications must be continued for a long 
time, it is well in most cases to apply them at a 
temperature slightly lower than when they are to be 
used for only a few minutes. 

The uses of the fomentation are very numerous. 
It is indicated whenever there is local pain without 
excessive heat or evidence of acute inflammation. 
Local congestions, neuralgia, toothache, pleurisy, and 
most local pains, vanish beneath its influence as if by 
magic. For indigestion, colic, constipation, torpid 
liver, dysmenorrhea, and rheumatic pains, it is a 
remedy of great power, and is used with almost uni- 
form success. In relieving sick-headache and neu- 
ralgic headache by application to the head, neck, and 
stomach, its eflSciency is unrivaled. 

Applications of Ice 

Ice may be applied directly to the skin, or, as is 
usually better, it may be inclosed in flannel ; when dry 
cold is needed, put cracked ice in a rubber pad. The 
ice-cap is a double head-cap of rubber, filled with 
pounded ice. 

The application of ice is found extremely service- 
able in many inflammatory diseases, and in some 
nervous affections. In inflammation of the brain, the 
ice-cap is of inestimable value. 



130 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

Water Emetic 

Warm water at about 92 °F. — not hot water — is 
a most excellent emetic if taken in sufficient quantity. 
It is prompt in action, and is unaccompanied by the 
painful nausea, retching, and straining produced by 
most other emetics. From half a pint to a quart is 
required to produce emesis. The patient should 
slowly swallow a tumblerful, then, after two or three 
minutes, swallow another, so continuing to drink un- 
til three or four glasses have been taken. As soon as 
the slightest disposition to vomit is felt — or even if 
it is not felt, after a considerable quantity of water 
has been taken — the patient should touch the back 
part of his mouth with the end of his finger or a 
feather, as far down as he can reach. This will 
usually excite the desired action. If it does not, all 
that need be done is to continue drinking. A little 
salt added to the water will make it more sickening, 
and will do no particular harm, as it is thrown out 
again. 

It is not claimed that the warm water emetic can 
replace all other emetics in all cases. When instant 
vomiting is necessary, as in cases of poisoning, some 
more prompt emetic may be used with it. But for 
all ordinary purposes, such as emptying the stomach 
in bilious headache attacks, it clearly has no rival. 



CHAPTER XII 
General Rules for Health 

In the preceding chapters the rules for healthful 
living have already been outlined, but for the sake of 
emphasis, they are called to the reader's attention in 
this place. 

It is obvious that anything which improves the gen- 
eral health, w^ill help to cure chronic headaches — 
the headache habit. The headaches that come from 
acute illness do not belong in this class. And yet, the 
man who lives a biologic life will escape acute illnesses 
which find a vulnerable spot in a man of careless, 
unhygienic habits. The younger one is when he be- 
gins to live correctly, the better are his chances for 
perfect health. That is what all the '' better baby " 
campaigns and the eugenic movement are for — to 
get health early in life, and to begin training this gen- 
eration so that posterity will have the benefit of a 
robust, clean ancestry. 

Headaches, and nine-tenths of all aches, can be 
avoided by simple living. 

A great deal of talk about the simple life has made 
131 



132 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

a seemingly complex thing of it — a bugbear. All 
one needs to do is to begin living in a rational way, 
and to continue so living. 

Fresh Air 

People can live and thrive on a surprisingly small 
amount of food, if it is the right kind ; but fresh air, 
sunshine, and pure water are needed in large 
amounts. 

Fresh air day and night — all the time — is a 
health necessity. The practice of " sleeping out " is 
especially needful for people whose work keeps them 
indoors for hours, with merely window ventilation, 
and the fresh air supply shared with many others. 
Resting, working, and exercising in the open air is 
very much better than resting, working, and exer- 
cising indoors, even under the best of conditions. 

Exercise is an important health factor. Bodily in- 
dolence generates poisons in mind and body. 

Walking is recommended as one of the best of all 
exercises, but individual conditions are so varied that 
each one must decide for himself what form his exer- 
cises shall take. But outdoors let it be. 

For women, the good, old-fashioned " movement 
cure " connected with housework, is worthy of a 
larger following in these days of machine-worked 
homes. The work should be done in rooms where 
pure air freely circulates. Then there is gardening. 



GENERAL RULES FOR HEALTH 133 

Even a window-box garden is a diverting exercise; 
one can practise deep breathing while tending the 
flowers ! 

Sleep 

It is impossible to regulate, or to definitely pre- 
scribe, the number of hours one should sleep, because 
individual cases and needs differ so widely. Get suf- 
ficient sleep. Eight hours is probably the average re- 
quirement, and it would better be at night. " Early 
to bed and early to rise " is a good health rule. 

Sunshine 

Of course we must have sunshine. The value of 
sunshine to animal and plant life is apparent to all. 
Plants become blanched and tender, and lack hardi- 
hood, if left without sunlight. So it is with children. 
Men growing up in mines, or confined in prison cells, 
or sunless workshops, are sallow and ill formed. 
Factory and sweatshop women are listless and 
anemic. 

Get all the sunshine you can. One must be sen- 
sible in very hot weather, of course, and the head 
should always be protected from the sun's rays. A 
sun bath in your own room is a great thing for health. 
After your bath, sit in a flood of sunshine for ten 
minutes before dressing, and slowly sip a pint of mod- 
erately cool water. This is a real tonic treatment. 



134 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

Pure Water 

As has been said, people do not drink sufficient 
water. Six to eight glasses daily, and more in hot 
weather, is the proper amounts for adults. Water 
drinking at meal times is not advised. If one is very 
thirsty, a cup, or glass, of water with the meals will 
do no harm. Pure fruit juices are healthful as bev- 
erage and food, but soda-fountain products, taken at 
all hours, cannot be included in the healthful dietary. 

Dietary 

The more closely one follows a correct dietary, the 
better health he is bound to have, with freedom from 
headaches and all other distressing symptoms. What 
that correct dietary is, depends upon one's height, 
weight, occupation and general health. The propor- 
tion of food elements, and the amount needed from 
time to time, must be worked out by following the 
suggestions in Chapters IX and X. It is not difficult 
to balance one's ration. Avoid all excess of meat 
eating, and substitute the wholesome vegetables and 
cereals. 

Keep the Body in Repair 

Just as the owner of a valuable machine keeps it in 
repair, so it is necessary to keep the teeth, eyes, ears 
and nose in excellent working condition by consulting 



GENERAL RULES FOR HEALTH 135 

specialists who understand how to repair these much 
abused and often diseased organs. Do not neglect 
these important parts of your human machine. Se- 
vere headaches are associated with special sense dis- 
orders. 

Clothing 

The individual must decide for himself what 
clothes are suitable for the climate, his work, and the 
circumstances of his social position. A few things 
are absolutely essential. The body must be properly 
protected, the clothing must be comfortable, clean, 
and in no way should It hamper the movements of the 
body, or restrict its normal functions. 

The Calls of Nature 

Constipation is the bane of the average civilized 
person — young or old. A laxative diet, exercise, 
and general healthful living will prevent, and cure, 
this condition. It is fostered all through life by the 
disregard, for various reasons, of Nature's calls. 
Disorders of the kidneys and bladder are brought 
about by the same disregard of Nature. A great ef- 
fort should be made immediately to respond to the 
demands of the excretory organs, or train them to 
move at regular, convenient times, and then one 
should always answer the call. 

At school, at work, or wherever and whenever the 



136 HEADACHES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM 

bowels and bladder cannot conveniently receive atten- 
tion, it is customary to disregard the body's needs. 
The result is, that the calls of Nature are less and less 
regular and insistent, and constipation with its train 
of evils is the final outcome. 

The congestive headache of autointoxication is 
caused by constipation. 

Eat laxative foods and obey Nature's calls. 

Do not Worry 

A happy and contented mind ranks with sunshine 
and fresh air, as a health measure. Take things as 
they come. If, by reasonable planning and effort, 
uncomfortable situations can be side-stepped, so much 
the better. But if it is a case of something that can- 
not be cured, then endure it without worrying. 
Above all things, do not waste time, strength, and 
health in worrying about the future. 

Be such a thorough-going optimist that there is not 
a single dark, gloomy corner in your mind. The 
world is full of beauty, content, and health. Why 
not enjoy your share? 

A Last Word 

The writer feels sure from his years of experience 
in dealing with all sorts of headache sufferers, that at 
least five-sixths of the cases are preventable, and 
curable, by following the suggested diet, and the rules 



GENERAL RULES FOR HEALTH 137 

of hygienic living and treatment briefly outlined in 
this little book. 

That so many people have found happiness with 
health by so doing, is the writer's reason for prescrib- 
ing it for you. 



Index 



Abdomen, congestion of, 
122 
kneading of, 122 
Abdominal circulation, 116 
Affusion, 117 

temperature of, 118 
when useful, 117 
Anemic headache, 49 
baths in, 51 
building up diet in, 50, 

70 
causes of, 49 
curative remedies in, 50 
drugs and opiates in, 50 
electricity in, 51 
elevating feet relieves, 

50 

harmful remedies in, 51 

head fomentations in, 51 

lying down relieves, 49, 

50 

Anticipation, excitement of, 

54 
Apoplexy, caused by bad 

temper, 62 
Arch of foot, 23 
Autointoxication, symptoms 

of, n 

Backache, 24 
Bad habits in eating;, 72 
Bath thermometer, 102, 103 
treatment, best time for, 
106 



139 



Baths, affusion, 117 

avoid draughts during, 

103 
careful drying after, 106, 

107 
cold, 106 

daily light hand, 105 
derivative, when to take, 

109 
eliminative and tonic, 

108, 113, 118, 119, 122 
exercise before and after 

cold, 107 
full, 114-116 
half, 117 

headache and fever fol- 
lowing, 107 
helpers, skill of, 105 
hip, 121 
leg, 123 

nervous patients in, 105 
neutral bath, 116 
rest in bed after, 107 
sedative, when to take, 

108 
shocks, 104 
shower, 118 
sitz, 121, 123 
soft water for, 107 
sponge. 111, 113 
sweating pack, 113 
temperature of, 102 
temperature of room 

during, 103 



140 



INDEX 



Baths, continued. 

tonic and eliminative, 
when to take, 108, 113, 
118, 119, 122 
unusual symptoms dur- 
ing, 106 
vapor, 119-121 
warm feet before, 105 
wet head before, 105 
when menstruating, 104 
when to avoid, 103 
Blood pressure high, 41 
Blood circulation, interfer- 
ence with, 20, 24 
Body, plumb line construc- 
tion of, 24 
Bran, 77 



Calls of nature, 135, 136 

Cane sugar, 75 

Carbohydrates, 73, 75 

Cellulose, 73, 74 

Clothing, constricting, 20 
suitable, 135 

Cocoa, 75 

Coffee, 75 

Cold baths in health, 106 

Colds, treatment for. 111, 
114, 116, 120, 123 

Collars, high, 26 

Compresses, 125, 126 
temperature of, 125 
when applicable, 126 
when to change, 125 

Condiments, 75 

Congestive headache, 41 
autointoxication, 41 
enemas in, 47 
hot foot baths in, 48, 111 
hot hip and leg packs in, 
47 



Congestive headache, con'd. 
low protein diet in, 43, 

70 
toxic causes of, 42 
treatment of, 42, 44, 46, 
48 
Constipating foods, 77, 7^ 
Constipation, 129, 135, 136 
Contented mind, 136 
Cooked food tables, 81, 94 
Correct dietary prevents 

disease, 69, 70 
Corsets, 20, 24, 25 

Daily enema, 124 
Dietary plan, 79 
Dietetics, experiments in, 

69^ 
Diet In autointoxication, 

77^ 
Dieting at home, 70, 71 
Diet, special, 76 
Diet tables, 81-96 

tables for height, weight 
and food units, 80, 81 
Disorders of puberty, 25 
Douche, 118 
Dry heat, 109, 110 
Dysmenorrhea, 129 

Emetic, water, 130 
Emotion headache, 53 
character of pain in, 53 
control of temper In, 59 
cure for restlessness in, 

57 
excitement In, 54 
hormones In, 61 
mental anxiety In, 60, 61 
secretions In, 55 
temperament In, 55 
treatment of, 58, 59 



INDEX 



141 



Emotion headache, con*d, 
worry habit in, 56 

Emotion retards functions, 
60 

Enemas, 123-125 
warm, 48, 124 
temperature of, 124 
tonic, 124 
when useful, 124 

Epileptics, 123 

Exciting causes of sick 
headache, 28 

Exercise, outdoors, 46, 57, 
66, 132 

Eyeglasses, 17 

Eyestrain, 17 

Flesh food tables, 93, 94 
Fomentations, 126-129 

how to heat, 126, 127 

when useful, 129 
Foods, antitoxic, 77 
Food bulk, 77 ^ 
Food characteristics, 77 
Food classification, 7Z 
Food intake, required, 76 
Foot baths, 110 

alternating hot and cold, 
110 

for headache, 110, 111 

when useful, 110 
Foot torture, 21 
Full bath, 114-116 

temperature of 115, 116 

when useful for head- 
ache, 116 

Gall stones, 116 

Gastric juice, decrease in, 

76 
Gout, 45, 114, 123, 128 



Graham porridge, 78 

Hair, artificial, 26 
Half bath, 117 

when useful, 117 
Harmful drugs, 117 
Hats, heavy, 26 
Headaches, anemic, 49 

autotoxic, 43 

bilious, 75 

caused by cramping feet, 
24 

congestive, 41 

due to reading on trains, 
17 

due to bad air, 14, 15, 16 

emotion, 53 

fever, 114 

helmet, 12 

hydrotherapy in, 97-130 

inactive kidneys, cause 

insomnia with, 116 

nervous, 28 

medical treatment for, 14 

monotony, 6?> 

neuralgic, 49 

overeating causes, 72 

periodical, 26 

preventable, 14 

psvchic influences cause 
12 

sick, 28 

surgical treatment for, 
14 

toxic, 41, 45 

water cure for, 97-130 

where located, 11, 12, 13, 
17 
Headache powders, 64 
Health rules, 131-136 
Heart palpitation, 123 



142 



INDEX 



Hemicrania, 28 
High collars, 26 
High heels, 20 
Height tables, 80, 81 
Hip bath, 121 
Hormones, 61 

Hydrochloric acid, 35, 36 
Hysteria, 12, 130 

Ice applications, 129 

when serviceable, 129 
Indigestion, 129 
Inflammatory diseases, 129 
Insomnia, 111, 116 
Intestines, putrefactive 

changes in, 32 
Intestinal putrefaction 

cause of sick headache, 

32 



Jaundice, 114 

Kitchen, impure air in, 15 

Laxative foods, 77 
Leg bath, 123 

when useful, 123 
Legumes, 75 

Light, diffused for reading, 
18 

Meat substitutes, 75 
Medical treatment for 

headache, 14 
Megrim, 28 

Menstruation, 104, 117 
Metabolism, disturbance of, 

Migraine, 28 
Mineral salts, 74 



Moderate eating, 71 
Monotony headache, 63 

a psychological condi- 
tion, 63 

dietetics in, 69 

drugs in, 64 

foot bath in, 111 

pain in, 63 

recreation in, 67 

routine life-work in, 65 
Movement cure, 132 

Nervous disorders, 29 
Nervous exhaustion, 24 
Nervous patients, 105 
Nervousness, baths for, 

113, 116, 123, 129 
Neuralgia, 63, 128, 129 
Neuralgic headache, 49 
baths in, 51 
building up diet in, 50, 

70 
causes of, 49 
curative remedies in, 50 
drugs and opiates in, 50 
electricity in, 51 
elevating feet relieves, 50 
harmful remedies in, 51 
head fomentations in, 51 
lying down relieves, 49, 

50 
symptoms of, 49, 50 
Neurasthenia, 12, 31 
Neutral bath, 116 

Obesity, 114 

Olive oil in stomach 

acidity, 77 
Ovarian irritation, 117 
Overeating, 74 
Oxygen, need of, 15 



INDEX 



143 



Pain, definition of, 7, 8 

distributions of, 9, 10 

intensity of, 10 

in the head, 10 

nature of, 9 

where located in head, 
11, 12, 13 
Patent medicines, 51, 64 
Pelvic congestion, 122 
Perverted taste, 72 
Poisoning, emetic for, 130 

ptomaine, 42, 43 
Poisons, alcohol, 75 

autotoxic, 43 

beer, 75 
Postures, bad sitting, 16, 

17 
Predisposing causes of sick 

headache, 28 
Proteins, 73 

Puberty, headache of, 30 
Pure water, 42 

Reading in bed, 18 
Reading on trains, 17 
Rheumatism, 45, 114, 116, 

121, 128, 129 
Riggs' disease, 44, 45 
Rye porridge, 78 

Sciatica, 116 

Self-control, 55 

Shivers, caused by bad air, 

15 
Shoes, 21-24 
Shower bath, 118 

when useful, 119 
Sick headache, 28 

age as factor in, 30 

aphasia in, 35 

alteration of digestive 

juice in, 35 



Sick headache, continued. 
cause exciting, 31, 2>2 
cold head compress in, 

39^ 
diet in, 39 

duration of attack, 34 
general health in, Z6^ Zl 
hot drinks in, 39 
hot foot bath in, 39 
hot hip and leg packs in, 

. ^^ 
inherited, 29 

milk causes, 75 

numbness in, ZZ^ Z6 

predisposing causes of, 

28,^ 31 

pricking sensation in, ZZ^ 

sex in, 30 

symptoms in, ZZ, 34, 35, 

36, 38 
treatment in, Z6^ 40 

Simple life, 131-136 

Sitz bath, 121-123 
exciting eflFect, 122 
relaxing effect, 122 
temperature of, 122 
when useful, 122, 123 

Sleep, 133 

Sleeping out, 132 

Sleeplessness, baths for, 
^ 113, 116 

Spices, 75 

Sponge bath, 111-113 
in headaches, 113 
when applicable, 113 

Spray, 118 ^ 

Stiffened joints, 121 

Stomach acidity, foods in, 

V 

olive oil in, 11 
Sunbath, 133 



144 



INDEX 



Sunshine, 133 

Surgical treatment for 

headache, 14 
Sweating pack, 113 

cold head compress with, 
114^ 

hot drinks with, 114 

in headache, 114 

when useful, 114 
Swollen ankles, 123 
Swollen knees, 123 



Tea, 75 

Table of food units re- 
quired daily, 80, 81 

Technic of baths and water 
applications, 110-130 

Temper control, 59 

Temperament, emotional, 
55 

Tobacco, 42 

Tonic baths, 113, 118, 119, 
122 

Tonic enema, 124 

Torpid liver, 121, 129 

Toothache, 129 

Uncooked foodstuffs, table 
of,^ 94-96 

Unhygienic clothing, wom- 
en's, 20 



Uterine congestion, 122 

Vapor bath, 119-121 
caution against, 121 
cold head compresses 

during, 121 
full bath after, 120 
temperature of, 120 
when useful, 120, 121 

Vegetable foods, 75 

Ventilating, window boards 
for, 16 

Vital reactions, 108 

Vitamines, 74 

Water, a diluent, 100, 101 
a solvent, 100, 101 
cure for headache, 97-130 
emetic, 130 
essential to life, 101 
external use of, 102 
internal use of, 102 
proper amount, 134 
temperature of baths, 

102 
treatment rules, 103, 107 
Weight tables, 80, 81 
Wet head-cap, 126 
What the foot does, 22 
Window ventilation, 16 
Why women have head- 
ache, 20-27 



I 



